RetroSeasons recaps past sports seasons through stories, photos, videos, and stats from every team, league, and stadium in history. Coverage includes the NBA, NFL, MLB and NHL, as well as vintage media from defunct teams and leagues.
Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway is a former professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for 14 seasons. He was known for his versatility, athleticism, and playmaking ability on the court. Hardaway played for four different teams during his career, including the Orlando Magic, Phoenix Suns, New York Knicks, and Miami Heat.
Hardaway began his basketball career at Memphis
Close
Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway is a former professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for 14 seasons. He was known for his versatility, athleticism, and playmaking ability on the court. Hardaway played for four different teams during his career, including the Orlando Magic, Phoenix Suns, New York Knicks, and Miami Heat.
Hardaway began his basketball career at Memphis State University, where he played for two seasons before being drafted by the Golden State Warriors in 1993. However, he was immediately traded to the Orlando Magic, where he would spend the majority of his career. Hardaway quickly established himself as one of the league's top young players, earning NBA All-Rookie First Team honors in his first season.
During his time with the Magic, Hardaway formed a dynamic duo with center Shaquille O'Neal, leading the team to the NBA Finals in 1995. Although they lost to the Houston Rockets, Hardaway's performance in the playoffs solidified his status as one of the league's rising stars. He continued to excel over the next few seasons, earning All-NBA First Team honors in 1995 and 1996.
Injuries began to take a toll on Hardaway's career in the late 1990s, and he was eventually traded to the Phoenix Suns in 1999. He played well in Phoenix, earning All-Star honors in 2000 and 2001, but injuries continued to hamper his performance. Hardaway was traded to the New York Knicks in 2004, where he played for one season before being traded to the Miami Heat.
Hardaway played a limited role for the Heat, serving primarily as a backup point guard. He retired from the NBA in 2008, finishing his career with averages of 15.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 5.0 assists per game. Despite his injuries, Hardaway was a four-time All-NBA selection and a two-time Olympic gold medalist with Team USA.
Since retiring from basketball, Hardaway has remained involved in the sport as a coach and mentor. He has worked with several NBA teams as an assistant coach, including the Memphis Grizzlies and the New York Knicks. Hardaway has also founded several basketball programs and camps for young players, using his experience and knowledge to help the next generation of basketball stars.
🏀
Related Content
Stories, Photos, Videos, Podcasts, and Publications featuring Anfernee Hardaway Biography
NBA legend and Tracy McGrady welcomes Ryan, Channing and Fred to Houston for a conversation...
Tracy McGrady NBA Legend & Hall of Famer Talks Penny Hardaway, Kobe & Heartbreak | The Pivot Podcast / NBA legend and Tracy McGrady welcomes Ryan, Channing and Fred to Houston for a conversation covering his hall of fame career, brotherhood with Kobe and the darkest times he experienced on and off the court.
The guys joke around to start the show off as Tracy tells the guys that basketball was his 3rd sport growing up and that baseball was his actual best one but that as a junior in high school, he picked up a basketball for the first time and the rest was history.
Sharing tales from his storied career and some of the All-Time greats he played with or met along the way that helped him mold his on court play from Michael Jordan to Penny Hardaway to Kobe Bryant to his coaches to his teammates. Being ranked as the best player in the nation at 18 years old, adjusting to money and fame was part of the transition process. Never winning a championship, Tracy's career was defined by his hall of fame talent and one of the best wings to every play the game known for his shooting skills, scoring, dunking and aggressive defense.
Tracy talks about some of the infamous match ups between him and Kobe and gets deeper into the bond the two shared off the court which he says shaped him as the man and player he was. Opening up about the moment he found out he passed and how it still doesn't seem real, Tracy shares some of their personal moments outside of basketball giving a different look into the person Kobe Bryant was.
In an emotional moment, reflecting back on his career, Tracy opens up about the struggles he faced waiting his entire life and working so hard to be apart of a championship team and how his injury kept him from being apart of the run, ultimately sending Tracy to a very dark place where he didn't talk to anyone for months. Tracy describes the moment he realized he wasn't the player he once was capable of being due to injury and age, and the blows he took to his ego leading him down a path of despair.
Being selected to the Hall Of Fame is the one thing that helped make all the painful moments and losses suffered along the way less of his focus and learned to relish in the moments of his success and understand the power of his legacy. Tracy's proudest moment has always been earning the respect of his peers and the guys he spent his life playing along side, especially a forever impactful statement from one in particular...the last interview with Kobe Bryant when he shared that the best player he ever faced was Tracy McGrady.
Shaquille O’Neal opens up about his divorce, relationship with Penny Hardaway and what really went...
Shaq Opens Up About His Regrets about Penny Hardaway / Shaquille O’Neal opens up about his divorce, relationship with Penny Hardaway and what really went on between him and Kobe Bryant in a rare look back into his life as he shares with the guys what keeps him up at night.
For the most part, Shaq says how he’s lived life his way but as he’s become older, he looks back with a couple of regrets, the main one being his divorce and the other never reaching out to Kobe after they finished playing together.
As Ryan leads the conversation about family and all of them making mistakes at one point or another over the years- the men discuss the point of coming to a realization that sometimes mistakes become decisions that can be difficult to come back from. The conversation takes a somber tone as Shaq shares how he is to blame for his marriage ending and the struggles he faced after not having his family with him everyday.
Channing lightens the mood, by talking shit with Shaq about his reputation of missing free throws, his eyes being close together and can’t resist asking about the sexual challenges Shaq faces by being such a large human and curious to how it all goes down.
Fred gets into the basketball conversation with Shaq and the guys take a trip down memory lane of how his career played out and what he would have done differently if given the chance.
Being transparent about his playing days with the Magic his move to LA and then to Miami, Shaq shares how he believes Penny Hardaway was Kobe Bryant before Kobe was Kobe. “If Penny didn’t get hurt, he would have been one of the top 3 players in the history of game” Shaq says.
Losing his sister unexpectedly and then dealing with the death of Kobe, Shaq regrets not picking up the phone and has no excuse but shares the lesson- we are never too busy to make a call.
