Orlando Magic icon Penny Hardaway was one of the many stars who attended the Fanatics Fest in NYC and while there, GQ Sports asked him to share his all-time starting five. Hardaway created an interesting lineup, going with some big names and himself.
“Can I put myself in there? … I’d say myself, Shaq (Shaquille O’Neal), MJ (Michael Jordan), Bron (LeBron James) and Kobe (Bryant),” Hardaway said.
You would have a hard time coming up with a lineup that could beat Hardaway’s. While the 53-year-old was obviously being a bit biased there, by picking himself, you could argue he would have gone down as one of the all-time greats, if not for injuries.
In his first three seasons with the Magic after being drafted with the third pick of the 1993 NBA Draft, Hardaway made the All-NBA First Team twice and finished third in MVP voting once. He was one of the most electrifying players the basketball world had ever seen and looked set to be a dominant force for many years.
Unfortunately, the injury bug then struck. Hardaway suffered his first serious knee injury in the 1996 playoffs and would continue to be plagued by them for the rest of his career. By the time 2001 came around, he was a shadow of his former self.
Hardaway would end up playing 14 seasons in the NBA and finished with career averages of 15.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.6 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game. He could have done so much more and it’s a shame we never really saw him at his best.
As for the rest of the team Hardaway picked here, we certainly did see them at their best. His former teammate Shaquille O’Neal was a 15-time All-Star who won four titles, three Finals MVPs, an MVP, and two scoring titles. O’Neal ended his career with impressive averages of 23.7 points, 10.9 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 0.6 steals, and 2.3 blocks per game, and has gone down as one of the greatest big men ever.
Hardaway then chose Michael Jordan and not much needs to be said here. Jordan was a 14-time All-Star who won six titles, six Finals MVPs, five MVPs, and 10 scoring titles. He is widely regarded as the GOAT and walked away from the game with averages of 30.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 2.3 steals, and 0.6 blocks per game.
The only real challenger to Jordan for that title of greatest ever is LeBron James, and he was the fourth player Hardaway mentioned. James is a 20-time All-Star who has won four titles, four Finals MVPs, four MVPs, a scoring title, and an assists title. He has career averages of 27.1 points, 7.5 rebounds, 7.4 assists, 1.5 steals, and 0.7 blocks per game, and is still going strong despite his advanced age.
Hardaway’s last selection was the late great Kobe Bryant. Kobe was an 18-time All-Star who won five titles, two Finals MVPs, an MVP, and two scoring titles. Bryant averaged 25.0 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 1.4 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game in his career, and is generally regarded as the second-greatest shooting guard of all time, behind Jordan.
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