$50 million worth Penny Hardaway recalls “trying to put fear” in Michael Jordan who “came back with a vengeance”
Penny Hardaway is one of the richest coaches in college basketball with a net worth of $50 million, as per Celebrity Net Worth. This week, he shared his experiences of being a player and facing superstar Michael Jordan.
Hardaway went on "The Draymond Green Show" in an episode uploaded on Thursday. Some of the topics they discussed involved Hardaway looking back on playing against Jordan when he first came out of retirement for the Chicago Bulls, naming his top five NBA point guards, among others.
The first topic was the time Jordan returned to the NBA in 1995 following a brief baseball career. Hardaway was a budding star for the Orlando Magic with Shaquille O'Neal as his co-star:
"I know what I got to do, because at this point, this is my second year. I'm ready. I'm rolling. And he came back, and he came back with a vengeance, but that first matchup was I had to let him know right away, because he was that dude," Hardaway said.
"So I was like, all right. I took him right to the post, did what I normally did, and was trying to, I was trying to put fear in him, guarding me, because I knew what he was gonna try to do to me on the other end." (13:00)
Penny Hardaway explains why he has the hardest job in the country
As head coach of the No. 21 Memphis Tigers, Penny Hardaway has the benefit of coaching a program that is experienced with making tournament runs and having winning seasons over a long period of time.
However, that success comes with a lot of expectations and challenges. Hardaway explained why it's the hardest job in the country during his appearance on "The Jason & John Show" on 929 ESPN-FM with Jason Smith and John Martin on Thursday.
"Because you have to have a top-3 non-conference schedule and you can’t lose one game in the conference," Hardaway said.
"That’s so much pressure every single year. It makes it extremely hard. It’s not an excuse, but it’s a real thing for me and for us."
Memphis has a promising start to the season with a 9-2 record. Notable victories include beating the defending two-time national champions UConn, Clemson, Missouri, Michigan State, and Virginia.
Penny Hardaway and the No. 21 Tigers prepare for their upcoming home matchup with Mississippi State on Dec. 21 at 12:30 p.m. ET.