Miami Heat Star Reveals Unusual Reason Why He Chose No. 55

Miami Heat star Duncan Robinson led an “ask me anything” session on Reddit on January 11, where he answered numerous fan questions about his game, college years, and personal life.

For those who remember watching Robinson at Michigan, they know his jersey number used to be No. 55. During the AMA, in which the 26-year-old took part to promote his new podcast, “The Long Shot,” finally revealed the unexpected reason he suddenly switched numbers.

“I’ve always had 2′s in my jersey number but when I got to Miami Wayne Ellington was #2, Justice Winslow was #20 and Luke Babbitt had #22 so I decided to flip the 2′s upside down and do 55. Also a big Jason Williams fan.”

Williams, a former Heat star, wore No. 55 throughout his 12 seasons in the NBA. The former first-round pick was the Heat’s starting point guard when Miami won the 2006 NBA Championship. Like Williams, Heat’s head coach Erik Spoelstra has long believed that Robinson, who went from being a Division III recruit to one of the NBA’s best 3-point shooters, would be a key starter in bringing another Finals to win to South Beach.

“I’ve said this for a while, he’s one of the best shooters on this planet,” Spoelstra said back in October 2019. “He’s put in the work. He’s put in the sweat. He’s put in the grind. He is hungry. He’s driven. He’s ambitious. He is a Miami Heat player. That stroke, three-point shot is not there by accident. There’s a lot of hours behind the scenes when no one’s watching.”

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Robinson Opened Up About Playing Through the COVID-19 Pandemic

During Monday’s AMA, Robinson was asked about playing in the NBA through the coronavirus pandemic and what he misses most from a life before COVID-19.

“Being able to go to restaurants,” Robinson said. “Don’t really go out much so that’s pretty much all I do on the road or in Miami. KYU and Osaka are my two favorites. Haven’t been able to go to either in forever, unfortunately.”

The Heat’s road game against the Boston Celtics at the TD Garden was one of the first games of the 2020-2021 season to be postponed due to health and safety protocols stemming from coronavirus.

The decision came after a Heat player returned an inconclusive test and, with contact tracing, Miami was not able to field a team of the league-minimum eight players. On Monday, Robinson reflected on the unusual season. “I think the general sentiment is that everyone wants to play but also everyone wants to be safe first,” he said. “The league is obviously doing everything they can to ensure both.”

AP’s Tim Reynolds tweeted that the Heat has traveled to Philadelphia for their upcoming game against the Sixers on January 12. “That the game is still on for tomorrow,” he said on Monday.

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Robinson Is Already Having a Breakout Season this Year

While Robinson, who’s 6’8, is not exactly a fierce two-way player like teammate Bam Adebayo, he’s “an indispensable piece of Miami’s offensive attack,” Sports Illustrated’s Michael Shapiro reported.

Robinson, with his “lightning quick release,” is “arguable one of the game’s best three-point shooter, and as a catch-and-shoot threat, he’s among the greatest in league history,” Shapiro wrote on December 25.

The accolades for Robinson poured in from all over following his electric performance against Zion Williamson and the Pelicans on Christmas Day. CBS Sports’ Brad Botkin called him a “nuclear weapon” and “overall best off-ball mover in the world.”

On January 6, Robinson scored 16 points against the Boston Celtics, shooting 5-of-11 from beyond the arc. The undrafted third-year player also made NBA history against the Boston Celtics by becoming the fastest player to hit 300 career three-pointers. He accomplished the feat in just 95 games, jumping over perennial All-Stars Luka Doncic and Damian Lillard who did it in 117 games. He’s at 41.7% from deep on the year.

If Robinson can keep this up, he can expect to receive a nice fat contract in 2021 free agency.

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