Tim Hardaway is free to root for his beloved Miami Heat.
The five-time NBA All-Star resigned from his scouting position with the New York Knicks last month for a broadcasting job on FS1’s “The Carton Show,” according to a report from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel – just days from the rivalry series between the Knicks and Heat began.
Hardaway, who played parts of six seasons in Miami, quickly switched allegiances.
“Of course, Miami,” Hardaway said when the Sun-Sentinel asked who he was backing in the series. “My heart is in two places, Miami and the Golden State Warriors. And when my son is in the playoffs, it’s with him, too. I’m always true to that. And if the Heat and Warriors play in the championship, then I’ll just be wearing both jerseys to all of the games.”
Hardaway joined the Knicks as a scout in May 2022 despite famously saying “I hate them with all the hate you can hate with” during the height of the New York-Miami rivalry in the 1990s.
The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame also served as an assistant coach for the Detroit Pistons from 2014-2018.
Follow The Post’s coverage of the Knicks vs. Heat NBA playoff series
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- Knicks battle but fall in season-ending Game 6 loss to Heat
- Knicks couldn’t survive two minutes without Brunson
- Brunson’s heroic night spoiled by late turnover
Now, Hardaway is kicking off a media career.
“I quit two weeks ago, because I couldn’t go on TV and talk about basketball, and I love talking about basketball, and I couldn’t do that working for the Knicks,” Hardaway said. “I couldn’t talk about different teams. I couldn’t talk about different players. I’m ecstatic and enjoying myself each and every morning on Fox Sports 1. It didn’t have anything to do with anything else but me being happy.”
Hardaway’s son, Tim Hardaway Jr., had two stints in New York, one as a 2013 first-round pick and later as a free agent.
Game 6 between the Knicks and Heat will kick off Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.