Penny Hardaway's NBA coaching remarks leave Memphis future in question
Yesterday at 08:07 PM
The Memphis Tigers are currently 9-2 and are ranked nationally at No. 21 in the men’s basketball AP poll. It’s been a great start to the season for Memphis and head coach Penny Hardaway, who has his team looking like they could be primed for an NCAA Tournament run later in the season. But with recent success, will Penny Hardaway perhaps look for greener pastures, maybe the NBA?
During a recent episode of Draymond Green’s podcast, ‘The Draymond Green Show with Baron Davis,’ Penny Hardaway revealed that he would have interest in potentially leaving Memphis one day and coaching in the NBA.
“I definitely want to coach in the NBA. I get my juices flowing when I sit in the arena. I get my juices flowing because I feel like I can help a lot of young guys because I know the game. I played the game and they still respect my brand and who I am,” Hardaway said. “I really feel like my coaching is built more for the NBA than college. I’m happy to be here because I’m home, it’s comfortable, I love my city, I love my school. Ultimately I’ve mentioned it before, I want to be in the NBA, I don’t know where that’s going to be but I want to help somebody win.”
A native of Memphis, Hardaway played two seasons of college basketball at Memphis before declaring for the NBA Draft. He was the No. 3 overall pick in the 1993 NBA Draft by the Orlando Magic via a draft night trade with the Golden State Warriors. Hardaway was expected to form a championship duo with Magic star Shaquille O’Neal.
The duo reached the 1995 NBA Finals but were swept by the Houston Rockets. That was as far as they would get as O’Neal would leave the franchise as a free agent and sign with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Hardaway’s NBA career lasted from 1993-2007 and included stints with the Phoenix Suns, New York Knicks and Miami Heat where he was reunited with O’Neal. He began his coaching career in 2018 when he was hired by Memphis.
Across the span of seven seasons as head coach at Memphis, Hardaway has complied a record of 142-64. Across that span, Memphis has made two NCAA Tournament appearances and two NIT appearances including winning the 2021 NIT championship.
Memphis has not had a losing season with Hardaway at the helm either overall or in American Athletic Conference play.
The post Penny Hardaway’s NBA coaching remarks leave Memphis future in question appeared first on ClutchPoints.
