Trevor Ariza, the 2009 NBA champion with the Los Angeles Lakers, has always admired four-time All-Star guard Anfernee “Penny” Hardaway. Recently, the former Lakers small forward, who played 18 seasons in the NBA, went above and beyond while praising the former Orlando Magic’s 6-foot-7 point guard.
Penny Hardaway was the third overall pick in the 1993 NBA Draft, the same year Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan took a brief retirement to pursue a baseball career. In his rookie year, Hardaway started all 82 games for the Magic and averaged 16 points, 5.4 rebounds, 6.6 assists, and 2.3 steals per game.
Speaking on the ‘Iman Amongst Men’ podcast, Ariza claimed the former Magic guard emerged as one of the best players in the league during Jordan’s absence. The 39-year-old said, “Penny, growing up, he was the standard for a minute. There were two years where he was better than Jordan, bro. I’m not fuc***g lying.”
How Good Was Penny Hardaway During 1994-95?
With his tall stature as a point guard, many compared Penny Hardaway to the legendary Magic Johnson, known for his spectacular ball handling and defensive prowess. In his second season, Hardaway improved his scoring to 20.9 points per game and recorded a career-high average in assists (7.2).
Hardway paired up with the legendary Shaquille O’Neal at the Orlando Magic, and the duo helped the franchise become Eastern Conference giants. In March 1995, Jordan returned to the NBA after 18 months and helped the Chicago Bulls qualify for the Playoffs.
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In the second round of the 1995 NBA Playoffs, the Magic knocked out the Bulls 4-2 as Hardaway averaged 18.5 points and 7.5 assists per game. Although Air Highness averaged over 30 points per game in the series, Shaq and Hardaway powered the Magic to the 1995 NBA Finals, where they lost to Hakeem Olajuwon’s Houston Rockets.
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