Penny Hardaway was an extremely popular player during the 90s and in many ways, he set trends with his footwear. The Nike Foamposite became a massive hit thanks to Hardaway and these days, he is coaching the Memphis Tigers in the NCAA. To this day, Hardaway remains a respected player who had an insanely high basketball IQ. This knowledge of the game is what has made him such a successful head coach all while current players continue to look up to him.
Recently, Hardaway was a guest on Undisputed, where he spoke to Skip Bayless and Shannon Sharpe about none other than LeBron James. Throughout the interview, Hardaway praised LeBron for being a matchup nightmare and also explained how him and LeBron are so similar.
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“I think we both have the vision. We are a matchup problem, and I was a matchup problem as a point guard being 6’7″, and most guards were way smaller than me,” Hardaway said. “The versatility with the basketball, understanding where guys are supposed to be at all times. Making the right pass at the right time. Getting guys going, especially those that need to get going that are going to help you win the ball game. It’s just understanding every detail of all 48 minutes when you are on the court.”
LeBron has missed a few weeks with an ankle injury although when he comes back, everyone is expecting him to tear up the league. As for Hardaway, there is no denying that he is an influential player who certainly had an impact on guys like LeBron.
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