Bobby Portis was one of the pieces involved in the blockbuster Giannis Antetokounmpo trade, with the Milwaukee Bucks shipping him to the Miami Heat as part of the deal. Portis is taking the opportunity to change his jersey number, though his new one is certainly a bit strange.
Portis wore No. 9 with the Bucks, but is switching to No. 95 in Miami. The reason, apparently, is that he was inspired while driving down Interstate 95.
“I was driving my stuff down to Miami and I was thinking about what I wanted to wear,” Portis said. “I didn’t want to wear 9 because that’s a Milwaukee thing for me. So I wanted to change it up a little bit. I was looking up at the sign and it said ’95 South.’ And if you don’t know, you can take 95 all the way to Miami. So 95 is where I’m at now.”
Bobby Portis on why he changed his jersey number to 95:
— Heat Diehards (@HeatDiehards) July 11, 2026
“When I was driving my stuff down to Miami, I didn’t want to wear #9 because that’s a Milwaukee thing for me. So I wanted to change it up a little bit. I was looking up at the sign and it said ‘95 South.’ And if you don’t… pic.twitter.com/lVNO63RAaD
Needless to say, 95 is a highly unusual jersey number for an NBA player, but Portis has always done his own thing. Plus, players have unusual inspirations for their jersey numbers all the time.
Portis was a valuable role player in Milwaukee and averaged 13.7 points and 6.4 rebounds per game last season, largely coming off the bench in a sixth man role.
