“I couldn’t talk to Magic Johnson and I don’t know if I heard him either”: Penny Hardaway talked about his affection towards Lakers legend

Penny Hardaway breaks down just how incredible he felt talking to Magic Johnson and how he couldn’t even register the moment properly. 

Magic Johnson caught the eye of every single person in every single arena he played at. His flashy personality was complimented perfectly by his flashy play on NBA hardwood. His showmanship was one of the key factors in establishing the Los Angeles Lakers as the ‘Showtime’ Lakers who would go on to win 5 NBA championships. 

Magic Johnson inspired a generation of point forwards to come forth into the limelight and eradicate traditional positions with their existence on the court. Before the league knew it, it had Scottie Pippen running the fast-break, LeBron James orchestrating set-plays from the top of the key, and Penny Hardaway hitting Jordan-esque jumpers and Magic-esque passes. 

Penny Hardaway was a 6’7 point guard, shooting guard, and small forward and if he played in today’s NBA, would be used the way DeMar DeRozan is being used with the Chicago Bulls in terms of position.

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While his prime was short, the 4x All-Star made it clear that a healthy version of himself on the Orlando Magic was someone who could be a second option on a team that could more than just contend for a championship. 

Penny Hardaway on Magic Johnson. 

“It was like looking in the mirror and seeing myself. He could do everything,” is what Magic Johnson had to say about Penny Hardaway after a scrimmage between the Dream Team in ‘92 and collegiate level players.  

This most certainly meant a great deal to Penny as he was one of the millions of fans across the world who idolized Magic growing up. Unfortunately, due to Magic’s abrupt retirement from the NBA in 1991, Penny could not play against the player he looked up to in the NBA.

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This would change during the 1995-96 season however as Magic Johnson would return for 32 games and play a whopping 30 minutes a game. while his stats were the lowest they had been, they certainly weren’t underwhelming for a player who hadn’t stepped foot on NBA hardwood in 4 years (14.6 points and 6.9 assists a game). 

One of his games was against Penny Hardaway on March 17th, 1996 where the Magic would win 98-97 over the Lakers. Penny talks about finally getting a chance to play against his idol in an interview, saying he could barely speak and couldn’t hear anything Magic said as he was so awestruck.