Whatever happened to Penny?

By Anthony Bonagura
Collegian Staff
April 4, 2007

If a time machine was developed in this day and age, it could be used for numerous situations. One could take a trip to prehistoric times and examine the dinosaurs. Another expedition could be to the Coliseum in Rome to watch the gladiators of that time. Or, an individual could just appreciate a time in his or her life that has passed.

If one turned the knob to 1995 and presented a basketball and a small copper medallion worth one cent to an avid NBA fan, one name would surface in the fan’s mind: Anfernee “Penny” Hardaway.

During this particular era, Michael Jordan was on every billboard, cereal box, commercial and poster, but he did not bask in the glory all by himself. Penny Hardaway was the most marketable sports figure in the world at this time—other than “Air Jordan.” Hardaway, who received his nickname “Penny” from his grandmother because she said he was “pretty as a penny,” was an explosive athlete in the NBA who captured the hearts of all basketball fans.

Hardaway was on top of the world in the mid-to-late 1990s. He played in Orlando, a marketable city due to its beautiful climate, and he teamed up alongside Shaquille O’Neal in Orlando where they quickly became the best one-two tandem in the league. Above all, Hardaway was best known for his Nike commercials, notably starring himself and “Lil’ Penny,” which was an identical puppet with Chris Rock’s voice. Hardaway had it all; he was simply revered and adored by fans of all ages.

Hardaway was taking lengthy strides in becoming one of the all-time greats. He completed his collegiate career at Memphis State University (now known as the University of Memphis), was drafted with the third overall pick by Golden State and was traded to Orlando on draft night.

He made an immediate impact in the NBA by winning the MVP of the Schick Rookie Game and followed that accomplishment by being selected to the All-NBA Rookie Team in 1994. He was named NBA Player of the Month in November 1995, and in his second season, he and Shaq took the beloved Magic to the NBA Finals, where they lost to the Houston Rockets.

With one achievement after another, Hardaway was solidifying himself as a Hall-of-Famer. He was a four-time NBA All-Star, two-time All-NBA First Team, one-time All-NBA Third Team and an Olympic Gold Medalist.

Then in the 1997-98 season, Hardaway tore the cartilage in his left knee, had to undergo arthroscopic surgery and missed all but 19 games that season. Two years later, he was traded to the Phoenix Suns and returned to his old form. Together with Jason Kidd, they became an unstoppable backcourt that could not be matched. In his second season as a Phoenix Sun, his left knee came back to haunt him. Hardaway played only four games that season due to slow recovery from microfracture surgery on his left knee he had during the offseason. Since his very first injury in 1997, Hardaway has had continued problems with his knee and never returned to the elite status he once had.

For Hardaway’s first seven seasons, he averaged double figures in points, nearly two steals a game and was known to make a flashy pass for an assist here and there.

Hardaway’s career hit rock-bottom when he was traded from the Phoenix Suns to the New York Knicks in 2003. He played three seasons in New York, and his highest average point total was 9.6, which was in his inaugural season in the Big Apple.

After the completion of the 2005-06 season, Hardaway accumulated 10 total points, six turnovers and two steals and played four games out of an 82-game season. A decade prior, these particular stats, with the exception of the six turnovers, would equal one quarter of a game for Hardaway, instead of an entire season.

After three seasons with New York, nostalgia hit Hardaway, as Orlando acquired him through a trade in 2006. Nearly seven years after leaving, he was now part of the same organization in which he accrued his success. Unfortunately for Hardaway, reality hit him hard after Orlando cut him almost immediately after they picked him up, due to his ineffectiveness on the court because of his previous injuries and surgeries.

Now, Penny Hardaway has become almost invisible to NBA followers. People are so caught up in the LeBron and Carmelo era that they are uneducated about the players of the past. Followers of the mid-’90s truly understand what Hardaway was capable of on the court and how explosive he was.

The only thing many people remember Hardaway as was a player with tremendous abilities that were hampered due to knee injuries that gradually deteriorated his career. Even though Orlando won’t likely retire Anfernee Hardaway’s jersey, no player can don the number one on the Magic jersey as gracefully as he did.

The final question left to answer in regards to Hardaway’s dwindling legacy is: “Penny, where are you?”

bonaguraa1@lasalle.edu