Penny Hardaway was one of the most gifted guards of his generation, but injuries meant he never quite fulfilled his potential. Hardaway’s play on the court especially deteriorated after he underwent microfracture surgery in 2000 and he feels it was the worst decision he ever made.
“When I had the microfracture, I knew it was instantly the worst decision I had made in my life because I could just tell I was different,” Hardaway said on the Point Forward podcast. “It was taking me so long after a game to get out of the car. I knew then, that something wasn’t right and I was never the same after microfracture surgery.
“And I was one of the first guys to have microfracture surgeries,” Hardaway continued. “And it felt like my left leg got weaker, my quad and my VMO on a strength where it could never get strong enough. It just seemed like my left quad just stayed with a weakened atrophy the entire time and never got back as strong as the right and I just knew I wasn’t the same.
“After the microfracture surgery man, I knew at that point I was just trying to hold on to something that wasn’t there,” Hardaway stated. “Mentally, it did mess with me but, at the same time, I felt like I was blessed. It will definitely get you mentally if you’re not ready for it.”
“It was the worst decision I had made in my life.”
Microfracture knee surgery ended the primes of several stars, including Penny Hardaway, Tracy McGrady, and Chris Webber.
Today, doctors no longer practice the procedure. pic.twitter.com/t0qQjAhJev
— Point Forward (@pointforward) May 20, 2024
Hardaway first underwent microfracture surgery in May 2000 when he was a member of the Phoenix Suns. He had suffered a knee injury after a collision with San Antonio Spurs big man David Robinson in the playoffs but played through the pain.
After the playoffs ended, Hardaway had the surgery, but things weren’t quite right after that. He required a second procedure in November of that year and ended up playing just four games in that 2000-01 season. When the basketball world saw him in action the following season, it was clear he wasn’t the same.
Hardaway had averaged 16.9 points, 5.8 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 1.6 steals, and 0.6 blocks per game for the Suns in the 1999-00 campaign. Those averages dipped to 12.0 points, 4.4 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 1.5 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game in 2001-02 and they’d keep going down as the years went by.
You do wonder how differently his career might have panned out if he hadn’t undergone that surgery in 2000.
Penny Hardaway Revealed He Was Jealous Of The Success That Shaquille O’Neal And Kobe Bryant Had
Before all those injuries, Hardaway had formed quite a devastating partnership with Shaquille O’Neal on the Orlando Magic. The two even took the Magic to the NBA Finals in 1995, but just a year later, the big man left for the Los Angeles Lakers. O’Neal would end up winning three titles alongside Kobe Bryant and Hardaway admitted he was jealous.
“Watching [Shaq] and Kobe [Bryant] together, for sure, there was some jealousy there because I felt like that should have been me and [him]… If we [had] stayed together, there would have been championships won.”
There is no doubt in my mind that Hardaway and O’Neal would have won at least one championship together if the former stayed healthy. They were an incredible duo and it’s a shame we never really saw them play with each other at their peaks.
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