"Snap out of that sh*t quick 'cause he'll kill you": Penny Hardaway admits Michael Jordan wearing #45 left him starstruck
Memphis Tigers head coach Penny Hardaway talked about facing Michael Jordan for the first time on the "Knuckleheads" podcast episode released on Wednesday. The former Orlando Magic guard reflected on anticipating the matchup as it was his first year as the team's starting point guard (1994).
Hardaway claims that he was taken aback when he saw Michael Jordan wearing a #45 jersey instead of #23. Nevertheless, realizing that Jordan could use his attitude against him in the game, Penny Hardaway quickly channeled his focus to the matters of the court.
"He didn't have 23 on when he first came, he had the 45 on and we played him," Hardaway said (35:20). "Me and Nick (Anderson) and (Scott) Dennis, we went at his head, we was like we gotta, we are big guards, we just got to go at him and man it was crazy just looking at him because my first year I didn't see him at all."
"Second year, most of the beginning of the year I didn't see him and then he just came back like 'I'm coming back.' And then in the game, watching him, I was like, 'Damn, that's MJ,' and snap out you got to snap out that s**t quick cuz he'll kill you if you ain't paying attention. I'm like, bro you better lock in and get busy."
Michael Jordan wore #45 during his return to the NBA in 1995. He did not want to wear the #23 jersey because it was the last number his father saw him don. However, MJ switched back to his original #23 jersey after 23 games.
Penny Hardaway details Michael Jordan's prank on him in the All-Star game
Penny Hardaway was called right before MJ during the 1996 All-Star game player intros. When Hardaway got up to shake hands with other players and coaches for his first All-Star selection, Michael Jordan swiped at his pants. The Magic guard was forced to handle his breakaway/tear-away pants throughout his intro.
"I'm getting ready to be announced, he started moving closer to me," Penny Hardaway said (37:00). "I'm like, 'MJ, you know you going last bro, what you coming over here for? I'm not going after you, so what you doing?' I didn't know what he was doing, he just kept inching like he was sitting closer and closer."
"And I guess he had already told Scotty or somebody - I'm about to do the snap off or whatever. I walk out and he snapped them jumps and I had to hold my pants. And I look back, he's just laughing like a mother******, it's crazy."
Penny Hardaway believes that Michael Jordan's inclination to prank him reflected how the Chicago Bulls guard respected his game and growth in the NBA. The Magic guard posted 18 points in his first star-studded matchup, while Jordan dropped 20 points. Both guards shot over 70%.