Every Miami Heat player in history to wear No. 7: Including standout rookie
By Brennan Sims
4. Shawn Marion
58 games played
The Matrix has to be one of the coolest nicknames in NBA history. The Heat didn't quite get Matrix Shawn Marion, but he was still a damn good player that contributed to winning basketball. The versatile defender guarded all five positions in Miami. Marion would guard the other squads' primary scoring option regardless of size. He was brute enough to challenge bigs on the block and long enough to fluster guards with swarming arms in their vicinity. Though Marion played more than one season with the Heat, his run in Miami was still limited. His 13 points and lockdown defense warrant his placement on the list, though.
3. Jermaine O'Neal
97 games played
The Heat are elite at obtaining players once they're a little over the hill. Jermaine O'Neal was an All-Star in 2007 before coming to the Heat in 2009. He wasn't the force he was in Indiana, but O'Neal was Dwyane Wade's most dependable center since he played with Shaquille O'Neal earlier in the decade. Jermaine O'Neal was along for the ride in 2009 when Wade produced his most productive year. O'Neal's hard screen and rolling were a part of Flash's 30-point-per-game season. O'Neal also started every regular season game he played in a number seven Miami Heat jersey. Holding averages of 13.4 PPG and 6.5 RPG, O'Neal is undeniably one of the best talents with this jersey number.
2. Kyle Lowry
155 games played
Winning players aren't usually as polarizing as Kyle Lowry is to Heat Nation. Lowry is a tough point guard, a hound on the ball, and willing to take and make big shots. His large contact number (3yr./$85M) turned some fans off. He was never a big scorer like that contact might suggest, so his 0-point games puzzled some fans. But that's what the Heat signed up for. Lowry was already aging when the Heat bought him on; the days of 17 and 7 every night were over. But again, Lowry was still a winning player.
There's no way the Heat lock up the number 1 seed in the east in 2022 without Lowry. The floor general kept the Heat afloat when Jimmy Butler, Tyler Herro, and Bam Adebayo missed a chunk of the season. Lowry was an integral part of the Heat's miraculous 2023 Finals run. The jumper was on as Lowry buried 38% of his deep balls on four attempts. Lowry was a leader and must be respected as the second-best player to wear number seven in Heat history.