Penny Hardaway interview on TBS after his game-winner

Anfernee “Penny” Hardaway was a Siskel and Ebert-approved superstar who could get buckets in a variety of ways. He played with a silky smooth demeanor and kept the ball on an ever-lasting string from the point guard spot. At 6-foot-7, Penny would punish defenders in the mid-range while finishing at the rim with either hand in traffic. He could also connect from deep and find open teammates before they even knew a passing lane had emerged.

Penny’s ascent to stardom was rapid. After averaging 16 points and seven assists alongside Shaquille O’Neal as a rookie in 1994, Hardaway became a box-office sensation in his second season. As an All-Star and All-NBA First Team player, he helped Shaq lead the Orlando Magic to the NBA Finals where they lost to the Houston Rockets. By the time he hit the game-winner to beat those same Rockets in ’97, O’Neal was on the Los Angeles Lakers. But Penny was still charging hard for Orlando when he called game on TBS.

PENNY HARDAWAY POSTGAME INTERVIEW | MAGIC vs ROCKETS MARCH 12, 1997

“Penny, take us through what happened at the timeout all the way through the inbounds, and then what you did on the final shot?” Hardaway was asked after converting the game-winning basket over the out-stretched arms of Hakeem Olajuwon.

“In the timeout, coach Adubato knew that we were having problems getting the ball in because Mario Ellie was overplaying me,” Penny said during the TBS postgame interview.

“So, he had Horace get the ball because they don’t pressure the 4-man. Then, we had Derek Strong pinned down on me so I can get a wide-open shot or a one-on-one move.

“Soon as I got the ball, I took it right to the basket and then shot it over Kevin Willis.”

“Did you see Olajuwon coming for the block?”

“I did see him coming, but I had to shoot it.”

“Yeah, you put that little double-clutch on there didn’t you?”

“Yeah I did. Well, you know what? I just knew that if we were going to lose, I was going to take the last shot. And if he blocked it, he blocked it. Luckily for us he didn’t.”

“Your team is on a roll right now, this has been a very successful road trip. How do you feel about your ability to move up in the playoff standings? You don’t want to be in 8th place.”

“Well right now no one wants to be in 8th place. If we have to be there, we’ll just have to play those guys,” Hardaway said in reference to the ’97 Chicago Bulls.

“Right now they’re the best team in the league. But we are trying to move up. Right now we have our eye on the Cavs and the Hornets. We’re a game behind them, and hopefully we’ll be in the 7th spot.”

“I heard in one of the timeouts, with about four minutes to go, Richie basically was saying Penny, Penny, Penny–that’s where we’re going with post-ups. That’s what you want, isn’t it?”

“That’s definitely what I want,” Hardaway said after connecting on 11-20 field goals to net 31 points during the 96-95 victory.

“As the go-to man on this team, the team has to live and die by me. If I’m not making shots, then we’re losing. If I’m making shots, then we’re winning, and tonight I made the shots.”

DISNEY BLOCKBUSTER

From 1994-98, Hardaway was so popular on and off the court with Orlando that his IMDb rating was at the very top of the league. After earning Rookie of the Year honors, Anfernee was named All-NBA for three-straight seasons. Amidst that run, Nike laced him up with an iconic sneaker and a trash-talking puppet that helped create a wave we hadn’t seen before or since.

With an assist from an up-and-coming comedic legend named Chris Rock, Hardaway’s brand jumped off the shelves. As Rock provided the voice of the “Lil Penny” puppet in the memorable Nike campaign–and Anfernee competed for the title of best player in the game–his shoes became an instant classic. The “1 Cent” logo that was featured on the sneaker seemed to simply reiterate that the next big thing had officially arrived.

“Lil Penny” flirted with Tyra Banks in commercials while throwing house parties when Hardaway was on road trips during the season. He kicked it on Penny’s couch, too, and never stopped running his mouth. The Nike campaign helped sell sneakers to be sure, but also etched a special place in basketball culture forever.

“I was one of the best players in the NBA,” Hardaway told Jeff Vrabel of GQ Magazine. “But those commercials had me on mainstream TV. People who weren’t watching basketball were still fans of Lil Penny.”

Ravaged by injuries, Penny would be named to his fourth and final All-Star team in 1998 and never become the same elite superstar after that. But when he was healthy and selling out arenas across the Association, Hardaway was the NBA-equivalent of an Oscar-winning actor. Like Butch McRae, he was a blue chip performer who could never be stopped.

Written By Brendan Bowers | @BowersCLE

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