“Shaq Never Told Me He Was Leaving”: Penny Hardaway Recalls the ‘Worst Day of His Life’

A blockbuster trade took place in 1996 which sent Shaquille O’Neal to the LA Lakers. This became a foundation for another glorious chapter in the Lakers’ history. While the LA franchise was happy to welcome a superstar athlete, the Orlando Magic had lost its ticket to an NBA title. For Penny Hardaway, however, it was more of a personal loss.

Shaq and Hardaway played for the Magic from 1993 to 1996, a period that beaconed the arrival of a potential dynasty. The promise of the duo had only the sky as the ceiling. Hardaway revealed on The Draymond Green Show that when Shaq left Orlando, he had a hard time coming to terms with the big fella’s decision.

He said, “Bro, worst day of my life right there. I ain’t gonna lie, I knew the magnitude of that, bro.”

What shocked Hardaway more than anything else was that Shaq didn’t tell him personally that he was about to leave Orlando. So, when he finally got to know about this major change, his life turned upside down. He said, “That was so crazy. Shaq never told me he was leaving.”

Hardaway detailed the embarrassing way he found out about Shaq’s trade. He said, “All of the international media was in there in our interview…and they’re asking each one of us questions. And one guy goes, ‘How does it feel not to have Shaq as a teammate?’”

Unaware of the trade going on behind the scenes, Hardaway told the reporter that it would be “devastating” for him. That’s when he was informed that Shaq was about to sign a multi-year deal with the Lakers.

The big fella went to Hardaway’s room the next day and apologized for not telling him about the deal shaping up. The four-time All-Star said that the news “killed” him, but he understood that Shaq belonged in a big market like LA.

Shaquille O’Neal apologized to Penny Hardaway

On an episode of his podcast, the big fella opened up about his trade to the Lakers and apologized to his former teammate. He said, “I would like to take the time to apologize to you. I probably said some stuff I shouldn’t have said. If I ever did rub you the wrong way…I apologize.” How successful the duo would’ve been if Shaq had re-signed with Magic remains one of the biggest what ifs in NBA history.

Shaq said, “I hate to think about ifs, but the only question that really is at the top of my ifs is how many would Shaq and Penny have won.” But why did Shaq leave Magic when he had a great thing going on and had a great teammate in Hardaway? Shaq said, “Egos.”

“When they said it wasn’t my team anymore, it hurt a little bit. Since they said it wasn’t my team, it’s his team now, let’s see what the other teams want to offer me,” he added. The move ended up being arguably the best decision of Shaq’s life as he won three titles with the Lakers and established himself as one of the all-time greats.