Penny Hardaway is an American college basketball coach and former professional player who is the head coach of the Memphis Tigers men’s team in the American Athletic Conference (AAC). Hardaway played college basketball at Memphis and 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), where he was a four-time NBA All-Star and a two-time All-NBA First Team member. He was named #5 on the list of top 100 modern college point guards by collegehoopsnet.com. Additionally, he was a leading vote getter on ESPN Conference USA Silver Anniversary Team. Hardaway was featured in the ESPN 30 for 30 documentary series film This Magic Moment which focuses on the Orlando Magic teams led by him and Shaquille O’Neal in the mid-1990s.
Birth Name
Anfernee Deon Hardaway
Nickname
Penny
Profession
Basketball Coach, Entrepreneur
Position
Shooting Guard / Point Guard
Shirt Number
1, 7, 25
Nationality
American
Personal Life
Birthday / Date of Birth
Penny Hardaway was born on the 18th of July 1971, in Memphis, Tennessee, United States.
Age
He’s currently 52 years old.
Sun Sign
Cancer
Ethnicity
Black
He is of African-American descent.
Religion
Christianity
Education
Penny did his primary schooling from Lester Middle School and attended and played basketball for Treadwell High School in Memphis. He then played and studied at the University of Memphis, in the 1993 NBA Draft, where he had to forego his senior season to participate. In May 2003, he returned and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in professional studies.
Family Details
- Father – Eddie Golden
- Mother – Fae Hardaway
- Siblings – Unknown
Marital Status
Married
Girlfriend / Spouse
Penny Hardaway has dated –
- Latarsha McCray (1990–2006) – Penny had a long relationship with his high school girlfriend, Latarsha. They have 3 children together – a son named Jayden, and 2 daughters named LaTanfernee, and Layla. In 2006, They separated.
Physical Statistics
Height
- In feet – 6 feet 7 inches
- In centimeters – 201 cm
- In meters – 2.01 m
Weight
- In Kilograms – 94 kg
- In Pounds – 215 lbs
Body Build
Athletic
Eye Color
Dark Brown
Hair Color
Black
Shoe Size
He wears a size 15 (US) shoe.
Sexuality
Straight
Professional Statistics
Famous For
Penny became known as a former American professional basketball player who became the coach of the college basketball team Memphis Tigers in 2018. From 1995 to 1998, He was an accomplished player in his time and featured in the NBA All-Star game. During his career, Penny featured as a point guard/shooting guard for NBA teams like Orlando Magic, Phoenix Suns, New York Knicks, and Miami Heat. He also won an Olympic Gold Medal with the United States’ senior national basketball team at the 1996 Atlanta games.
Professional Career
In 1993, Hardaway debuted in the NBA with the Orlando Magic. Until 1999, He was a member of the team. During those six years, he put on some incredible performances and accomplished several significant feats. In his first season, he averaged 16 points per game and achieved his first career triple-double against the Boston Celtics. He was nominated to the NBA All-Rookie first team for his accomplishments in his rookie season.
In the 1995-96 season, he averaged 21.7 points per game and was chosen to the NBA First Team for the second time. In 1999, He was traded to the Phoenix Suns and played for them until 2004. He averaged 5.8 rebounds per game in his first season with the squad. From 2007 to 2008, He played with the New York Knicks from 2004 to 2006, then the Miami Heat. His Free Throws Percentage in the 2005-06 season was 1%, while his Three-Point Field Goals Percentage in the 2007-08 season was 0.421 percent.
Intriguingly, he has received the highest accolade in the Olympics, having been a member of the 1996 United States Olympic Basketball Team that won the Gold Medal. In 2011, he began coaching at the Lester Middle School after quitting from the game in 2007. Since 2018, he has served as the head coach of the Memphis Tigers men’s basketball team. He has also worked in films in addition to being a basketball player. In 1994, he starred basketball drama film “This Magic Moment” as well as the 2016 documentary film “This Magic Moment.” He owns a barbershop and a beauty parlor in Memphis, therefore he’s also a businessman. He also owns a small investment in the Memphis Grizzlies, a renowned NBA team.
Film Debut
In 1994, Penny Hardaway had his first film onscreen role in the basketball feature Blue Chips.
Brand Endorsements
Penny has done endorsement work for several brands such as has starred in Nike‘s advertising campaign titled Lil Penny which featured an alter ego puppet of Penny, voiced by comedian Chris Rock. He has served as a spokesperson for brands such as – Nike, Sprite, Post Cereals, Hillshire Farms, Sony PlayStation.
Penny Hardaway Net worth
Penny Hardaway has an estimated net worth of $50 million dollars as of 2023.
Social Media Profiles
- Twitter – Penny Hardaway
Some Lesser Known Facts About Penny Hardaway
- Hardaway is the son of Fae Hardaway and Eddie Golden. The name Anfernee (/ˈænfərniː/) was that of a schoolmate of his mother.
- His nickname came as a result of his grandmother’s calling him “Pretty” with a southern drawl, thus sounding like “Penny”.
- As a teenager, Hardaway refereed youth sports at the Memphis YMCA and played on its Jr. Olympic basketball team.
- At Memphis State University (now the University of Memphis), Hardaway had to sit out the 1990–91 season with the Memphis State Tigers due to being academically ineligible according to the Proposition 48 regulation.
- In 1993, he started his professional NBA career and made an immediate impact, getting named in the 1994 “NBA All-Rookie First Team”.
- In 1994, the University of Memphis retired the jersey number 25 in his honor.
- He owns a barbershop, a turf business, and a beauty salon in Memphis. He also has a black belt in Taekwondo.
- At the 1996 Olympic Games, Penny was a key performer for the United States, scoring 14 points against Brazil in the quarterfinal and 17 points in a winning cause in the Gold Medal match against Yugoslavia.
- In 2010, he helped in the revival of a summer basketball league named the Bluff City Classic. He has also helped provide funding for the construction of the University of Memphis’s Sports Hall of Fame.
- In 2011, he was appointed the coach of his alma mater, Lester Middle School. He coached the school’s team, Lester Lions, to the West Tennessee State title.
- In 2015, Penny was featured ESPN documentary titled, This Magic Moment which focused on the Orlando Magic team of the 1990s.
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