“‘This a bad idea, this is a real bad idea'” - Tim Hardaway admits taking a charge against Shaquille O’Neal back in the day was a very stupid
After five heartbreaking rejections, Tim Hardaway will finally be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. The player with the “killer crossover” was one of the smartest playmakers in the NBA during his career.
However, he wasn't immune to the occasional bone-headed play. During a conversation on NBA TV, Hardaway spoke about one of those that he can only look back at with hilarity and said:
“I did something very stupid. Pat Riley said, ‘We’re gonna have to take a couple of charges on Shaq tonight to get him out of the game.’ So, somebody threw a bad pass, I ran down court and I got in front of him and I took a charge.
“As he was coming I was like, ‘This a bad idea, this is a real bad idea.’ But I stood there, I took the charge, I did not get hurt, kept playing and Shaq looked at me and was like, ‘What are you doing?’ [I said] ‘I don’t know, I really don’t know. I took a charge. It just came out of my mind.’”
Tim Hardaway once tried to take a charge from @SHAQ 😂 https://t.co/GFfm1CqNsS
The former thirteen-year NBA vet is listed as 6’0" and 175 pounds. Shaquille O’Neal, on the other hand, was a 7’1", 325-pound behemoth that terrorized the biggest and most bruising defenders.
Tim Hardaway didn’t share what game or year that was, but the event likely occurred during his stint with the Miami Heat under Pat Riley. The legendary head coach, known to be a stickler for toughness and grit, would have asked players to do as Hardaway revealed regardless of size disparity.
Two-stepping into the HOF
Watch the TOP 5 plays of Tim Hardaway's career ahead of his induction into the @Hoophall tomorrow at 7 PM ET on @NBATV! https://t.co/hthxatXcw9
Hardaway’s time in Miami coincided with Shaquille O’Neal’s early years with the LA Lakers. Shaq was already a nearly unstoppable force with a rare combination of mobility, power and skill. Those Riley Miami Heat teams took every possible route to lessen Shaq’s impact, including taking hazardous charges.
Fortunately for Tim Hardaway, he lived to tell the tale and laugh about what he called a “very stupid” move.
“Heat culture” started during Tim Hardaway’s time with the Miami Heat under Pat Riley
These days, most fans consider “Heat culture” as a product of the LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh era. But it really started when Pat Riley arrived from the New York Knicks to coach the Miami Heat in 1995.
One of Riley’s biggest moves was to acquire Tim Hardaway from the Golden State Warriors. With Hardaway, Riley had a hard-nosed, scrappy playmaker who’s known to be a clutch shooter. He was the perfect complement to the bruising interior presence of Alonzo Mourning.
Here's what Tim Hardaway had to say about the birth of "Heat culture" in a report by Ira Winderman earlier this month:
“I really think Heat culture started in ‘96-97, with Keith [Askins], Alonzo Mourning, myself, Voshon Lenard, Dan Majerle, Ike Austin and P.J. Brown, of course.
“All this social media, they forget about what really, really happened in ‘96-97, ‘98, ‘99. They forget about what really happened. They just look at now, with the Big Three [James, Wade and Bosh] and those guys. I laugh, I just let it go.”
The team may not have the deadliest scorers but they were a never-say-die squad who were physical and intimidating. Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls always had bruising and interesting battles with those Heat teams.
On eve of Hall induction, Tim Hardaway says of Heat career, "It all happened beautifully." sun-sentinel.com/sports/miami-h… "I really think Heat culture started in ‘96-97, with Keith [Askins], Alonzo Mourning, myself, Voshon Lenard, Dan Majerle, Ike Austin and P.J. Brown, of course."
“King James,” Chris Bosh and “D-Wade” are the flashier names, thanks to the titles they won. But Tim Hardaway and the ‘90s Miami teams were the catalyst of “Heat Culture.”