Blog Archives
#1: This Isn’t Lil’ News
Anfernee “Penny” Hardaway has officially been named the head basketball coach of the University of Memphis.
This announcement comes after Tubby Smith was fired from this position a week ago. With this hiring, Penny has now made the coaching leap from the prestigious AAU and high school sidelines to the college game to great fanfare. The people of Memphis and its basketball team seem excited for his triumphant return (Penny played two seasons at Memphis when university was called Memphis State from ’91-’93).
“Hardaway was introduced at a Tuesday news conference that was open to the public, leading to a pep-rally atmosphere.”
–Jeff Goodman, ESPN Insider
And one well-known former competitor had some very nice things to say about one of Orlando’s famous Magic men.
FYI – Penny Hardaway is my favorite basketball player of all-time. And it still feels very wrong that he never won an NBA title. Add onto that list his unfortunate string of injuries. Despite all of that, in his prime, Penny was one of the best players on court at any given moment. But more than that, he’s proven during his post-NBA career that he’s an even better man off the court.
Memphis signed a winner in Penny Hardaway in ways that aren’t singularly measured on the hardwood, but equally away from it.
P.S. It would be fun to see Chris Rock reprise his role as Lil’ Penny in some way…
No Strings Attached
Remember when anybody who was anybody had a fast-talking, lookalike puppet?
The ’90s was an insanely awesome decade for many reasons, least of which was because the NBA was actually fun to watch. Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Steve Kerr, Dennis Rodman, Toni Kukoč and the Chicago Bulls were led by “The Zen Master” Phil Jackson. The Seattle Supersonics was a real team with Gary “The Glove” Payton, Shawn Kemp and one of the greatest sports names ever: Detlef Schrempf. And let’s not forget about Hakeem Olajuwon firing up the Houston Rockets.
Even so, the real magic of the NBA in the ’90s went down in Orlando. Anfernee “Penny” Hardaway is one of the league’s all-time greats, including his nickname. Along with his immense talent was his prowess for marketing and nobody talked a big game like Penny’s small friend who sounded precisely like comedian Chris Rock:
“Lil’ Penny.”
This blissful commercial is why “Throwback Thursday” is such a fantastic phenomenon.
It’s just a nice coincidence that Penny happened to throw the ball through the back of the hoop.
Right in the Middle of It All
Basketball season is in full swing, both at the collegiate and professional levels. Watching the athletic dunks, improbable shots and skill (not ability, but skill!) of the best players is great fun. Still, no player quite compares to my favorite basketball player of all-time: Penny Hardaway. Penny made crazy shots that were highlights every night for the Orlando Magic. Plus, he dished some stellar passes to this short and shy guy named Shaq. Hardaway also had the best little brother in the wise-cracking, Chris Rock-voiced Lil’ Penny.
And yet, his legacy is being defined in a middle school gym in Tennessee.
Penny Hardaway’s Legacy: Instead of offering our “two cents,” let’s volunteer one cent.
Jimmy's Daily Planet 