Warriors’ GM Mike Dunleavy Jr. addressed a potential Jimmy Butler jersey retirement

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Warriors' Jimmy Butler standing with the back of his No. 10 jersey facing the front next with Mike Dunleavy on one side and Pat Riley on the other

Jersey retirement debates have heated up, with a Jimmy Butler-Miami Heat reunion quickly approaching. Heat fans are split. Butler’s exit from the Heat was less than delicate. And the feud with Pat Riley was extremely public. They’re weighing the drama of Butler’s departure against the only two finals appearances they’ve had since the LeBron James-led Heatles era.

While it’s up in the air whether or not the Heat should retire Butler’s iconic No. 22 jersey, Golden State Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. revealed to Mark Stein that he challenged Butler to make his jersey retirement a guarantee with the Dubs.

“I told him, make sure you get it up in the rafters,” Dunleavy revealed. After joining the Warriors, Butler changed his jersey number from No. 22 to No. 10.

No. 10 is a number that carries a lot of weight in the Warriors’ history. Tim Hardaway of the famous Run TMC era is the most famous of the bunch. However, the seldomly mentioned David Lee also donned No. 10 during the early years of the Stephen Curry era.

In that same article by Stein, Butler chose No. 10 because of the prestige and aura of the number in soccer.