Shaquille O’Neal and Penny Hardaway formed a great duo during their time with the Orlando Magic. However, in 1996, Penny getting a better role and contract with the team forced Shaq to consider moving out. The 7ft 1″ Shaq accepted Jerry West’s $121,000,000 offer to be a Laker and won three consecutive titles in Los Angeles. Shaq had always appreciated Penny and had a great story from 24 years ago about first meeting him only when he arrived in Orlando.
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24 years after being separated from Shaq, Penny Hardaway revealed how Shaq’s story of never meeting Penny before Orlando was all farce. Shaq and Penny have known each other since Penny’s sophomore year in college. Furthermore, the two have also played together at the Olympic Festival in Minnesota. Perhaps, Shaq loves to dramatize his actions, making him a great storyteller.
Penny Hardaway reveals Shaquille O’Neal’s story of never meeting him to be false
In the All The Smoke podcast, Penny Hardaway shared some great insights about his relationship with Shaquille O’Neal. Professionally, their partnership might have ended on a sour note at Orlando Magic. However, the two share great respect and appreciation for each other.
When Penny was a prospect for the Orlando Magic, Shaq was pleased to have him from the Golden State Warriors draft day swap. Furthermore, he claims that he had never known Hardaway before he joined Orlando. However, Penny claimed in the podcast that all such stories are false.
“Well, you know how Shaq is. Shaq knew me when I was a sophmore in college. We played on the Olympic Festival in Minnesota that summer. The summer before, I came out. But Shaq likes to make the story sound a lot better. That’s my dude.”
In Shaq’s version of this story, the Big Diesel first interacted with Penny while shooting for Blue Chips. Penny’s talents blew away Shaq, and he claimed this was the first time he had met his future teammate. Penny’s version of the story dramatically contrasts with the one told by Shaq. Furthermore, when cross-verified, Shaq and Penny did play together at the Olympic Festival during Penny’s sophomore year.
The Orlando front office was the reason behind Penny Hardaway and Shaq’s harsh fallout
Penny Hardaway and Shaq proved to be promising at the Orlando Magic. Together, they had led their team to the 1995 NBA Finals after defeating Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls in the playoffs. However, Magic failed to win the series, which prompted much anguish within the roster.
In 1996, Shaq was in the twilight of his NBA contract with the Magic. He wanted a deal that matched his ask of an above $100 million contract. However, the Magic front office refused Shaq any such offer, citing Penny Hardaway’s importance. Feeling undervalued in his team, Shaq departed for the Lakers after receiving a lucrative offer from Jerry West.
