Penny Hardaway

It's almost a decade now, so I think I can talk about this now.

I don't have any role models.

I think part of that is because of my arrogance (yeah, it's there if you haven't seen it) and my complex, but when I was 11 years old, I did have one.

His name was Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway.

I can't actually pinpoint when I started rooting for him and the Magic, just like I can't pinpoint when I figured out that wrestling was fake (Because I remember cheering for The Rock against HHH, so that's pretty much after Austin's time where fake was already accepted).

Anyway, you all know about Penny Hardaway so I'm not gonna bother telling his career. You know the highlights, 3rd pick overall, an NBA finals appearance, a lot of all-star starts, all NBA first team, USA team in 96 and many more I'm sure. If you're not a basketball junkie, you've still probably have seen his ads with Nike (I soooo miss Lil' Penny).

Anyway, he meant a lot to me growing up. Everything I did and bought was Penny: Trading cards, jerseys, photo plaques, shoes, caps, etc. I even tried moving the same way he did when I played. By 1995, I was in New York when Shaq and Penny went deep in the playoffs. I was glued to every game and he was larger than life by then. My friends from NY were Michael Jordan fans, so when he returned and faced Orlando in the Semis, it was all out war on the living room. It was sooo enjoyable watching the final play where my man Penny reached in and knocked the ball loose from Jordan allowing Anderson to steal and setting up the fast break on the other end. I didn't even care too much that they lost in the Finals. The future was bright and Penny was leading the way.

Then Michael Jordan happened. Of course I had no comprehension then how great Michael Jordan actually was. Suffice to say, Orlando never stood a chance only I didn't know it. So the Magic lost in the East Finals. Shaq went Hollywood and it was Penny's team.

I was in New York again to watch Penny light up Miami in the playoffs for consecutive 40 plus games. Back then, it was a rare feat to do that so I was pretty pumped up. They lost the decision to Miami, but everything was still good with Penny. He was a top 5 player, incredibly marketable and a sure-fire courtside countdown cameo every week.

And then, it went downhill. He was injured. Then the lockout happened. Then he was injured again. Somehow, something in me was crushed, like I was let down by my hero. I stopped watching the NBA with the same passion from 2000 to 2002, reserving my viewing to only the playoffs and big games. Penny was never the same and so was I. Given that I idolized him as I was in puberty, his decline was probably one of the first major disappointments of my adolescence.

Eventually, Jason Kidd and the Nets got me back. And then, Steve Nash and the Suns. And now, I am glad to be witness to a once in a generation player in Lebron James. And while they have all surpassed Penny, nothing will take the place of the Orlando Magic who took my breath away.

And if you think I've stopped remembering, I'd point out that my shades are Oakley Penny. Not related, but still, you gotta love the name.