Jimmy Butler’s ugly split from the Miami Heat has returned to the spotlight, not because he is rejoining them, but because of a question that could shape his long-term basketball legacy: Will Pat Riley and the Miami franchise ever retire the No. 22, especially after the long saga of suspensions and fights that ended in a breakup?
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Five Reasons Sports reporter Ethan Skolnick reported, “As long as the majority of the current Heat front office is in place, 22 isn’t being retired.”
Skolnick crucially called that view “just fact,” not “opinion/preference.” That stance casts a cloud over a number once tied to some of Miami’s biggest playoff moments. Butler led them to two Finals. But they haven’t publicly made a final decision on Butler’s number, leaving room for the stance to change over time.
Still, Skolnick’s report suggests the strained ending to Butler’s Miami tenure (keyword: ending) continues to carry weight behind the scenes. Skolnick also reports that the Heat are expected to retire No. 13 (Bam Adebayo) and No. 6 (LeBron James) eventually. The latter might have been sooner if he had chosen them over Philly, though the team has not formally announced anything.
Butler’s No. 22, though, now stands as the most complicated case. Here’s why.
The 11th-Hour Meeting That Worsened Jimmy Butler’s Rift With Pat Riley
The jersey retirement question comes against the backdrop of Jimmy Butler’s difficult final months in Miami. According to The Athletic, Butler and Heat president Pat Riley met face-to-face on January 7, 2025, as Riley made one final attempt to repair the relationship and keep the six-time All-Star in Miami.
According to sources with knowledge of the meeting, tears welled in Riley’s eyes as he tried to connect with Butler on a human level, noting that both men had lost their fathers. But the emotional appeal did not have its intended effect. A source close to Butler said the player viewed Riley’s behavior as “unhinged” and “disturbing,” while Heat-side sources described Riley’s reaction as a genuine moment of vulnerability, not an effort to pressure or manipulate Butler.
Butler lost his father to a terminal illness just a year before that meeting. The veteran had taken a leave of absence to be with his family, missing the last three games before the 2024 All-Star break.
“It sucks to hurt, it sucks to lose people,” Butler said on Starting 5. “I didn’t know what to do. No amount of money in the world could bring him back. Basketball, no matter how much I played it. It couldn’t fix that.”
The Athletic also reported that while Riley spoke about his own father’s death, he discussed Butler’s late father and offered “unsolicited and unwanted” parenting advice. Even though Butler reportedly “remained calm” during the meeting, he “left the meeting more convinced than ever that he needed a new basketball home.”
Tensions only escalated after that. Butler missed a team flight, walked out of practice, and received multiple suspensions before Miami traded him to the Golden State Warriors in February 2025. The completed five-team deal sent Andrew Wiggins, Kyle Anderson, Davion Mitchell, and a top-10-protected 2025 first-round pick to the Heat. Wiggins later took over Butler’s No. 22.
For all the drama around his exit, Butler gave Miami plenty to celebrate over six seasons. He led the Heat to the NBA Finals in 2020 and again in 2023, with an Eastern Conference Finals appearance in 2022.
Butler’s biggest Heat playoff moment came against the Milwaukee Bucks in 2023. With Miami trying to pull off a major first-round upset, he scored 56 points in Game 4. He then dropped 42 in Game 5 to finish the job and lead the Heat to a 4-1 series win.
He had already made Finals history during Miami’s 2020 run. In Game 3 against the Los Angeles Lakers, Butler put up 40 points, 11 rebounds and 13 assists. He became just the third player ever to record a 40-point triple-double in an NBA Finals game.
Two games later, Butler did it again. He finished Game 5 with 35 points, 12 rebounds, 11 assists and five steals, giving Miami another huge performance on the NBA’s biggest stage.
Riley went on to acknowledge what Butler meant to the Heat despite the messy ending. In May 2025, Riley made it clear that the breakup didn’t erase his appreciation for Butler, saying, “He played his ass off, his heart out for us.”
On the other hand, Butler had confirmed two months earlier, in March, that he wasn’t “spiteful” toward anyone but had “nothing to say to Pat.”
Despite how his Miami tenure ended, Butler left Heat Nation with unforgettable memories. There is a world in which we might also witness Giannis Antetokounmpo’s jersey get retired before Butler’s because of all that happened, but there’s enough belief that one day the veteran’s number will make it to the rafters at Kaseya Center.