Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway Biography - Childhood Experiences, An Epiphany, Onto The Nba, Chronology, Li'l Penny, Part Ii—heaven Cent - CONTACT INFORMATION
1971-
American basketball player
Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway, point guard for the Phoenix Suns, made a name for himself in the NBA while paired with center Shaquille O'Neal in Orlando in the mid-1990s. After O'Neal's departure for the Los Angeles Lakers in 1996 and several injuries, Hardaway decided to try to restart his career with the Phoenix Suns in 1999.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Address: c/o Phoenix Suns, 201 E. Jefferson St., Phoenix, AZ 85004. Online: www.pennyhardaway.net.
Additional Topics
Hardaway was born in Memphis in 1971. When he was very young, his mother, Fae Hardaway, moved to California and left him in the care of his grandmother, Louise Hardaway. Louise had started life as a sharecropper in Arkansas, but she, her husband, and her children moved to Memphis as soon as they had saved up enough money to buy a house there. Throughout her life, Louise, a cook in Memphis elementa…
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, an…
When Hardaway left Memphis State in 1993, he was drafted by the Golden State Warriors but immediately traded to the Orlando Magic for their first-round draft choice, future Washington Wizards and Sacramento Kings star Chris Webber. Magic fans were gathered in the Orlando Arena to watch a telecast of the draft, and some of them booed Hardaway when they heard of this trade. According to Hardaway, th…
Hardaway's fame was increased by a series of advertisements run by Nike that featured Hardaway and a loud-mouthed puppet, voiced by comedian Chris Rock, called Li'l Penny. Li'l Penny was supposedly Hardaway's little brother—little being the operative word, since Li'l Penny only stood three feet tall. Li'l Penny, who was also a basketball player, liv…
Things began to fall apart for Hardaway after a few years. Orlando fans were still not always kind to him, he had a rocky relationship with the Magic coaches, and in 1996 O'Neal left Orlando for the Los Angeles Lakers. Knee and hamstring injuries limited his playing time in the next few seasons, and by 1999 Hardaway and the Magic were ready to part ways: he was traded to the Phoenix Suns in…
Geffner, Michael P. "Penny and His Thoughts." Sporting News (November 10, 1997): 29-31. Howerton, Darryl. "After Being Swept by Houston in the NBA Finals, Orlando Guard Anfernee Hardaway Reflects on Yet Another … Summer of Discontent." Sport (October, 1995): 59-62. "One on One with … Penny Hardaway." Sporting News (January 7, 2002): 50. Pierc…
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almost 3 years ago
robert dudley » radatbuenavista2 ((at)) hotmail dot com
A great player and his fragile knee kept him from reaching his full potential....love his play with Shaq, a great combination. "He had game."