Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway

Then, the next summer, Hardaway was the victim of an armed robbery that left him with a bullet lodged in his right foot. He was with one of his cousins, in front of his cousin's house in Memphis, when four men jumped out of a car and forced them to lay face-down on the pavement, and then, while one held a pistol to the back of Hardaway's neck, the others took their money, jewelry, and shoes. Hardaway was sure that he was going to die, but instead the robbers just took their loot and ran back to their car. As they ran, one fired indiscriminately behind him. This bullet ricocheted off of the pavement and into Hardaway's foot, where it broke three bones.

As Hardaway lay in the hospital recovering, he ruminated about how fragile life was and how close he had come to losing his future in basketball. Although his foot healed well enough to allow him to play again, Hardaway returned to his classes at Memphis State that fall with a new zeal. By the end of the year, he was on the dean's list.