Orlando Magic Legend: Penny Hardaway's Fame

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Orlando Magic legend Penny Hardaway's rise to stardom with an innovative skill set for a tall guard set the groundwork for future mega stars to succeed in today's NBA.

The common thread during a conversation regarding former Orlando Magic great Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway includes the constant injuries and abrupt ending to his once promising career. A 6'7 point guard was extremely rare back in 1993 something not seen since the days of Earvin "Magic" Johnson standing at 6'9 with the Los Angeles Lakers. Since his retirement players such as the Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James and Philadelphia 76ers rookie Ben Simmons have carried on the "Point Forward" role.

The athleticism with the skill set turned Hardaway into an instant young star in the early 1990's using his height to tower over traditionally smaller guards. A match up nightmare for opponents as Hardway could play three positions often using his …show more content…

After O'Neal's departure during the 1996 offseason Hardaway was thrusted into the spotlight alone and hit with various knee injuries eventually leading to his trade to the Phoenix Suns. During his six seasons in a Magic uniform, Hardaway not only put up All-Star numbers he helped to bring a basketball culture to the Orlando, Florida area.

O'Neal was inducted into the Orlando Magic Hall of Fame back in in March of 2015 shared his thoughts on leaving Hardaway and the franchise during the press conference. The four time NBA champion would go on to say "That's why I kind of regret it, because we had a young, fabulous team, We really did, and it's a shame that we got torn apart. But I think about that all the time. I try not to live my life now on 'ifs' or 'would've, should've,' but do I regret leaving here in '96? Yes I

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