Anfernee Hardaway was an NBA player who had a magnetic charisma for basketball fans. So many people, players included, looked up to Penny not just as an influence but as a walking basketball god. Tracy McGrady was someone who fell into that category.
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It wasn’t just T-Mac that idolized the four-time All-Star. “Penny is one of my favorite players growing up,” said LeBron James in an interview from back in 2019. The fact that Penny had an influence over The King is a badge the now 54-year-old college coach could wear forever.
But for McGrady, Penny was a near-religious figure. He spoke about his affinity for the Olympic gold medal winner and how he once went to his house as a teenager during a recent appearance on 7PM in Brooklyn with host Carmelo Anthony.
“I ended up going back to his crib. I’m 17 years old though. When I go back to Penny’s crib that sh** just did something to me. Yes it did,” stated T-Mac, who seemed to have been transported back to the moment as he recollected the story.
“He opened the door, I’m looking at my idol dawg. I can’t believe I’m at Penny Hardaway’s crib. He’s right in front of me dawg,” he added. “How a Michael Jordan fan looks at MJ, this is how I look at Penny, and I’m at his house.”
That’s quite the endorsement, one that only a kid growing up in the early days of Penny’s career could understand. Hardaway was a phenomenal asset for the Orlando Magic during his prime, but a knee injury he suffered in 1997-1998 slowed him down. Otherwise, he most likely would have added more All-Star appearances to his accolades.
Still, for Penny to get acknowledged by McGrady over MJ is nuts. Jordan fans are a different breed. They stand on the mantle of loving the best because of his tremendous accomplishments. This isn’t to say that Penny was better than MJ. But T-Mac being a Hall of Famer and loving Penny is a nice look for Hardaway.
McGrady credits Penny for his move to the Magic
T-Mac balled on the Orlando Magic between 2000 and 2004, and those were some of the best years of his prestigious career. That wasn’t an accident. McGrady grew up very close to Orlando. When the Magic arrived, he was instantly a fan.
“I grew up 35 miles from Orlando. When we got the Magic, I became a Magic fan,” McGrady stated in a separate interview. That wasn’t all. The Magic had this new player, Penny Hardaway, who instantly won his heart.
“But when we got Penny (Hardaway)… That’s when I’m like, I saw myself in that uniform,” he stated. “Because I identify a lot of my game watching Penny. And that was the inspiration.”
McGrady may have never won a ring during his time in the NBA, despite coming very close in San Antonio. But his career was one of the most memorable because of his tremendous and inspired play. Now we know where that inspiration came from. Another great baller, Penny.
