Dallas Mavericks announce uniform number changes for Kyrie Irving and Tim Hardaway

At the introductory press conference for rookies Dereck Lively II and Olivier-Maxence Prosper, the Dallas Mavericks announced that both Tim Hardaway Jr. and Kyrie Irving will be switching uniform numbers ahead of the new season. Hardaway, who has worn number 11 since 2019 when he arrived in Dallas, will now wear number 10. Irving, who wore number two with Dallas, will switch to his preferred number 11 if he re-signs with the team.

This will allow Dereck Lively II to select the vacated number two. Propser will wear number 18 for the Mavericks. The recent draft selections were asked during the press conference about their uniform number choices, prompting an immediate announcement from a team official:

“After the trade with Brooklyn last February, Tim Hardaway Jr. requested a change to number 10, with Kyrie Irving reserving the number 11 which Tim was wearing at the time, which left number two available for Dereck.”

Hardaway Jr.’s number change is a bit of a full-circle moment. His father, Tim Hardaway Sr., wore number 10 as a Maverick during his season with the team. Kyrie Irving is a free agent, and although his return to Dallas is still very much up in the air, the fact that he’s reserving a new number and the team is commenting on it publicly is a good sign that there is confidence in reaching an agreement there.

With the Mavericks’ rookies officially choosing NBA numbers, @MavsTracker on Twitter detailed the entire history of these uniform numbers in Dallas. Dereck Lively II will be the first center to ever wear number two; Maverick Legend Raymond Felton was the last non-Irving player to wear the number. Olivier-Maxence Prosper will be just the second Maverick to don number 18, joining John “Hot Rod” Williams.