The significance of Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant’s stint with the Los Angeles Lakers can’t be understated, the iconic duo terrorized the league en route to three consecutive championships in the early 2000s. However, Shaq played with another superstar talent before Kobe, Penny Hardaway, who could have caused the league a whole lot of problems if his pairing with the big fella had worked out.
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The two dominated the competition during their brief stint together with the Magic. However, their tenure together ended soon due to Shaq’s contract disputes with Orlando. Regardless, their tandem had blossomed immediately after they joined forces, and Hardaway explained why on Zach Randolph and Tony Allen’s Out The Mud Podcast.
While discussing his relationship with Shaq, he said,
“[Shaq] was definitely my best teammate ever. What I tried to do man, was just feed him because I was confident with who I was and comfortable in my own skin. You get those teammates sometimes and they bump heads because they try to go against each other. Shaq never had to face that with me.”
Hardaway was the ideal point guard to play alongside Shaq in his early years. His skill set was ahead of its time, since he was 6-foot-7 guard who could shoot. However, the Magic star did not prioritize scoring and had the confidence and selflessness to allow O’Neal to become the dominant scorer.
Despite Hardaway’s focus on giving Shaq the ball, ‘The Big Diesel’ did not diminish the All-Star guard’s performance. The two figured out the perfect blend to maximize their success together.
Hardaway’s comments come in response to O’Neal’s claim that he was the best, teammate he has ever played with. “The best for me to play with was Penny Hardaway cause Penny Hardaway was super unselfish,” said O’Neal.
It was clear during the interview that Shaq’s comment meant a lot of Hardaway. And it’s clear that the 53-year-old regrets how things ended in Orlando along side other NBA fans.
Penny and Shaq could’ve done what O’Neal did with Kobe
Standout rookies typically sign their rookie extensions with the same team that drafted them more often than not. This is usually due to the front office doing everything in their power to ensure they retain their star player. Shaq’s case with Orlando is one of the rare instances this didn’t happen.
He ended up in LA and success followed shortly after. Penny feels Shaq might have had the same success if he had stayed in Orlando.
In a guest appearance on Fox Sports’ Undisputed in 2021, Penny said, “I know if I would have stayed healthy and Shaq would have stayed in Orlando, we would at least have one or two championships. I’m sure of that.”
Hardaway suffered a devastating knee injury during the 1996 NBA playoffs. He could never fully recover as the player he once was alongside Shaq. However, there is no denying that the two stars did something extraordinary in Orlando and took the franchise to their first ever NBA Finals in 1995.
