The departure of Shaquille O'Neal to the LA Lakers in 1996 coincided with the start of Kobe Bryant's hall of fame career. The trade gave a stud from a Philadelphia high school the big man he needed to establish himself in a league looking for a new star. Michael Jordan had only two seasons left - excluding his Wizards comeback.
Who was going to take the reigns?
Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway was unquestionably the answer for many basketball fans. The Orlando Magic guard became a league favorite in three seasons. With O'Neal leaving, Hardaway would finally be the center of attention. Or so it would seem. The now 39-year-old Hardaway is not waiting for his jersey to be retired and many scoffed when he expressed his interest in returning to join the New World Order - aka the 2010/11 Miami Heat.
(Once the best, now a footnote.)
The Golden State Warriors drafted Hardaway third overall in the 1993 NBA Draft before trading his rights to the Magic in return for the rights of Chris Webber.In his rookie season, Hardaway led the Magic to 50 wins and the first playoff berth in franchise history. Reggie Miller and the Indiana Pacers swept the Magic in the first round, though.
(The predecessor for such pairings as Kobe and Shaq, Wade and Shaq, and LeBron and Shaq.)The following season, a determined Penny-Shaq duo won 57 games and the Atlantic division title. The Magic eliminated Boston and Chicago before running into Indiana once again in the Eastern Conference Finals. The highly contested series went a full seven games. Hardaway scored 17 points in the deciding game as the Magic blew out the visiting Pacers, 105-81.
The celebration was short lived, though, as the Houston Rockets swept the Magic in the NBA Finals.
Hardaway took over the Magic in 1996 when an injury to O'Neal put more of the load on the third year star. Hardaway responded, leading the Magic to 60 wins and their second consecutive division title. The Bulls swept the Magic in the conference finals en route to their fourth NBA championship.
Despite the heartbreaking end to their season, Hardaway's stock was never higher. He had one of the most popular shoe brands on the market in the Air Penny's by Nike. The Penny brand continued to grow with a successful ad campaign featuring Hardaway and his buddy Lil' Penny - voiced by comedian Chris Rock.
The Magic, though, traded O'Neal in the off-season. Hardaway played only 59 games in an injury shortened season. The Magic lost to the Miami Heat in the first round of the playoffs and would not advance past the first round again until the 2007-08 season.
A knee injury early in the 1997-98 season symbolized the beginning of the end of Hardaway's super stardom. He played only 19 games that season and was criticized for returning too early from injury when he chose to play in the all-star game.
Hardaway played all 50 games the following season (strike-shortened season) and was traded to the Phoenix Suns at the urging of point guard Jason Kidd. Despite injuries to both guards during the regular season, the Suns managed to advance the second round of the playoffs before O'Neal and the Lakers ended their season.
Hardaway bounced in and out of the starting lineup for the rest of his career.
(There is just something wrong with this picture.)Instead, Penny is remembered for what could have been.
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