 Hardaway playing for the Magic. | ||
| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Born | July 18, 1971 Memphis, Tennessee | |
| Nationality |  American
| |
| Physical stats | ||
| Listed height | 6 ft 7 (2.01 m) | |
| Listed weight | 195 lbs (88 kg) | |
| Career information | ||
| High school | Treadwell High School (Memphis, Tennessee) | |
| College | Memphis (1991-1993) | |
| NBA Draft | 1993 / Round: 1 / Pick: 3 | |
| Selected by the Golden State Warriors | ||
| Playing career | 1993-2007 (14 years) | |
| Position | Point Guard | |
| Jersey No.(s) | 1, 7 | |
| Career history | ||
| 1993-1999 | Orlando Magic | |
| 1999-2004 | Phoenix Suns | |
| 2004-2006 | New York Knicks | |
| 2007 | Miami Heat | |
| Career highlights and awards | ||
| ||
| Career statistics | ||
| Points | 10,684 (15.2 PPG) | |
| Assists | 3,525 (5.0 APG) | |
| Steals | 1,125 (1.6 SPG) | |
| Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | ||
Anfernee Deon Hardaway is a retired American basketball player who played for the Orlando Magic, Phoenix Suns, New York Knicks, and Miami Heat in the NBA. His best years were played on the Magic, when he was one of the most popular players in the league, and was heralded a worthy successor to Michael Jordan. Injuries reduced his effectiveness greatly early in his career, never allowing him to completely realize his potential.
High School
Hardaway played basketball in Memphis for Treadwell High School, where he averaged 36.6 points, 10.1 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 3.9 steals, and 2.8 blocks as a senior and was named the Parade Magazine National High School player of the year. He finished his high school career with 3,039 points. He then committed to Memphis State University (known as the University of Memphis since 1994). [1]
College
During the 1990-1991 season, he was forced to sit out, due to being academically ineligible. During his freshman year, he got robbed at gunpoint and shot by a stray bullet in his foot, which will haunt him later in his career. Despite this, he was able to finish out his college career with no problems, averaging 22.8 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 6.4 apg, 2.4 spg, and 1.2 bpg and getting first team All-American honors in the process. Surprisingly, he also made the Dean's List with a 3.4 GPA during his junior year.
NBA
Orlando Magic (1993-1999)
Hardaway was selected by the Golden State Warriors in the first round of the 1993 NBA Draft (third pick overall), but was traded along with three future first-round picks to the Orlando Magic for the rights to first overall pick Chris Webber. The Magic's intent was to draft Webber and pair him with Shaquille O'Neal until Hardaway – whose desire was to play alongside O'Neal – requested a second workout to show why he should be their pick. Two days before the draft, Hardaway participated in a pick-up basketball game with several Magic players and local talent and impressed the organization enough to make the draft day trade.
He started out the season at the shooting guard position while he learned the point guard position from veteran Scott Skiles. By mid-season, he took over point guard duties from Skiles. He immediately made an impact in the league, winning the MVP award at the inaugural Schick Rookie Game. Hardaway helped the Magic to their first playoff berth and first 50-win season, averaging 16 points, 6.6 assists, 5.4 rebounds per game, while his 190 steals ranked 6th in the league. He recorded his first career triple double on April 15 when he registered 14 points, 12 assists, and 11 rebounds against the Boston Celtics. For his efforts, he was named to the NBA All-Rookie first team and was the runner-up for Rookie of the Year to Chris Webber.
During the 1994–95 NBA season, the Magic won a franchise record 57 games while Hardaway averaged 20.9 points, 7.2 assists, 4.4 rebounds, and 1.7 steals per game. He was named a starter in his first NBA All-Star game and was named All-NBA First Team. The highlight of the playoff run was the second-round defeat of the Chicago Bulls. Along with Shaquille O'Neal, he led his team to the NBA Finals, where they were swept by the Houston Rockets. Despite the sweep, Hardaway averaged 24.5 points, 4.8 rebounds and 8 assists in the series, while shooting 50% from the field.
An injury to star teammate Shaquille O'Neal at the start of the 1995-96 NBA season forced Hardaway to garner more of the scoring load during the first few weeks of the season. He responded by leading the Magic to a 17–5 start. He was named NBA Player of the Month for November by averaging 27.0 points, 6.5 assists, 5.8 rebounds, 2.2 steals, and 1 block per game. He was named a starter in the NBA All-Star Game for the second consecutive season while leading the Magic to a franchise record 60 wins. For the season, he was named to the All-NBA First Team for the second consecutive year while averaging 21.7 points, 7.1 assists and 4.3 rebounds and capturing 166 steals, which was good for 5th in the league. He also finished third in MVP voting. Hardaway was again the only player in the NBA who averaged at least twenty points and five assists and shot fifty percent on field goals during the regular season. The Magic's playoff run ended in the Eastern Conference Finals to the eventual champion (and all-time regular season victories record setter) Chicago Bulls. In the twelve-game playoff run, Hardaway averaged 23.3 points, 6 assists, and 4.7 rebounds.
During the summer of 1996, Hardaway played on the 1996 US Olympic Games Basketball Team, which won a gold medal. Hardaway averaged 9 points, 4.4 assists, 2.8 rebounds, and 1.4 steals in the eight games. His two biggest contributions were in the quarterfinal game against Brazil where he chipped in 14 points and in the Gold Medal game against Yugoslavia where he scored 17 points.
The departure of O'Neal during the off-season to the Los Angeles Lakers left Hardaway as the lone star on the Magic heading into the 1996–97 NBA season. Hardaway struggled through an injury-filled season, but still managed to be named a starter for the third consecutive time in the NBA All-Star game. During the season, Hardaway, being the team leader, led a coup to fire then coach Brian Hill with only 33 games left during the season. In 59 regular-season games, he averaged 20.5 points, 5.6 assists, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.6 steals per game and was named to the All-NBA Third Team. The Magic again managed to make the playoffs with a 45-win season. In the playoffs, they fell 0–2 to the Miami Heat in the first round. Hardaway then scored 42 points in game 3 and 41 in Game 4 to force a Game 5 in Miami (becoming the 1st player in NBA history to score 40 points in back to back playoff games when his team scores less than 100 while also being the first player to score 40 points back to back in the playoffs against a Pat Riley-coached team). Hardaway scored 33 points in Game 5, but the Magic fell short. Hardaway finished the playoffs with averages of 31 points, 6 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 2.4 steals, and 1.4 blocks per game. His playoff scoring average finished a close second to Michael Jordan (31.1).
A devastating left knee injury incurred early in the 1997-98 NBA season required surgery and forced him to miss the majority of the season. Despite injury, he was voted to start the NBA All-Star Game for the fourth consecutive year, and had six points and three assists in 12 minutes at New York. However, he was criticized for attempting a comeback sooner than expected by playing in the All-Star Game. He played his last game a week after the All-Star game and missed the remainder of the season (Hardaway has since endured another four surgeries on his left knee up to the present that have gradually deteriorated his explosive athletic abilities). In 19 games he averaged 16.4 points, 4 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.5 steals.
He returned during the lockout-shortened 1999 season and managed to play in all 50 regular-season games to lead the Magic to a share of the best regular-season record in the Eastern Conference. He averaged 15.8 points, 5.7 rebounds and 5.3 assists, and his 111 steals placed him 5th in the league. The Magic then lost a first-round series to the Philadelphia 76ers in which Hardaway averaged 19 points, 5.5 assists, 5 rebounds, and 2.3 steals. It would prove to be his final season in Orlando.
In the Summer of 1999, at the urging of Phoenix Suns' point guard Jason Kidd, Hardaway was traded to the Phoenix Suns for Danny Manning, Pat Garrity and two future first round-draft picks. In 369 regular season games with the Magic, Hardaway averaged 19 points, 6.3 assists, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.9 steals per game. In 45 playoff games he averaged 21.8 points, 6.5 assists, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.9 steals. [2]
Phoenix Suns (1999-2004)
Hardaway landed in Phoenix via a sign-and-trade with Orlando before the start of 1999–2000 NBA season to team with fellow All-Star guard Jason Kidd, forming what the Suns labeled BackCourt 2000. However, injuries to Hardaway's foot and Kidd's ankle allowed them to play just 45 games together (33–12 with both in lineup). In 60 games, Hardaway averaged 16.9 points, 5.8 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and 1.6 steals with a 42–18 record. The Suns finished with a 53–29 record and a 5th seed in the Western Conference Playoffs. The ankle injury to Kidd forced him to miss most of the first-round series against the defending champion San Antonio Spurs. Hardaway stepped up and recorded a 17-point, 13-assist, 12-rebound triple-double in a crucial Game 3 win. The Suns disposed of the Spurs in four games. The Conference Semi-Finals pitted Hardaway against his former teammate Shaquille O'Neal and the Lakers. The Suns fell short to the eventual champion Lakers in 5 games. Hardaway averaged 20.3 points, 5.7 assists, 4.9 rebounds, 1.6 steals, and 1 block per game during the nine playoff games.
The outlook was optimistic heading into the 2000–01 NBA season, but two microfracture surgeries on his left knee forced Hardaway to miss all but four games during the season. In those four games he averaged 9.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 1.5 steals. Hardaway entered the 2001-02 NBA season healthy and managed to play in 80 regular-season games. Kidd had been dealt to the New Jersey Nets for new point guard Stephon Marbury. Kidd's pass-first style was switched with Marbury's shoot-first style, which led to Hardaway and Marbury butting heads. Hardaway managed to average 19.9 points, 5.4 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 1.7 steals during the month of November. The team traded for guard Joe Johnson during the season which relegated Hardaway to the bench for the first time in his career. Despite this, he averaged 12 points, 4.4 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and 1.5 steals during the regular season.
Hardaway entered the 2002-03 NBA season coming off the bench. Inconsistent play by young Joe Johnson allowed Hardaway to get back into the starting lineup early in the season. His steady veteran play was a key component to a team that had young stars such as Marbury, Amar'e Stoudemire, and Shawn Marion. Hardaway did miss 24 games with a hand injury in which the team went 10–14 in his absence. He returned in time to record a 10-point, 10-assist, 10-rebound triple-double on April 9 against the Dallas Mavericks. Hardaway finished the regular season averaging 10.6 points, 4.4 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and 1.1 steals. The Suns gave the eventual Champion San Antonio Spurs a scare in the first round before losing in six games. Hardaway averaged 12.7 points, 6 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 2.2 steals in the series.
The 2003-04 NBA season saw Hardaway shuffle in and out of the Suns starting lineup. He was traded to the New York Knicks January 6, 2004 along with Marbury and Cezary Trybanski. He averaged 8.7 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 2.9 assists in 34 games for the Suns. Phoenix used the cap room that was carved out via this trade to sign free-agent point guard Steve Nash to a huge deal starting in 2004–05. In 236 regular season games with the Suns he averaged 12.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 1.3 steals. In 15 playoff games he averaged 17.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 5.1 assists, and 1.8 steals. [3]
New York Knicks (2004-2006)
Hardaway and Marbury helped lead the Knicks to the 2004 NBA Playoffs. In 42 regular-season games with the Knicks, Hardaway averaged 9.6 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1 steal. In 76 total games during the season he averaged 9.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 2.3 assists. In the playoffs the Knicks lost in the first round to the New Jersey Nets. Hardaway led the Knicks in scoring in two playoff games while averaging 16.5 points, 5.8 assists, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.5 steals in the series. Hardaway spent most of 2004-05 NBA season fighting various injuries. He averaged 11.9 points, 2.6 assists, and 2.5 rebounds in an 11-game span during the middle part of the season. He finished the season averaging 7.3 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 2 assists in 37 games. He played just four games for the Knicks in the 2005-06 NBA season while trying to rehabilitate arthritic knees. He averaged 2.5 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 2 assists in those games. In 83 games for the Knicks, he averaged 8.2 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.9 assists.
Hardaway was traded back to Orlando, along with Trevor Ariza, for Steve Francis on February 22, 2006, and waived by the Magic on February 27 to save money when his contract expired the following summer. [4]
Miami Heat (2007)
On August 9, 2007, Hardaway was signed by the Miami Heat for the veteran's minimum, reuniting him with former teammate Shaquille O'Neal. He wore jersey number 7, marking the first time in his pro career that he didn't wear number 1. On December 12, 2007, he was waived by the Miami Heat in order to free up a team spot for free agent Luke Jackson. In 16 regular season games, he averaged 3.8 points, 2.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists & 1.19 steals. His best game of the season was on November 17, with 6–6 shooting for 16 points in a win over the New Jersey Nets 91–87 on the road. [5]
Gallery
