Shaquille O'Neal had the pleasure of playing with two of the greatest guards the NBA has ever seen: Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway and Kobe Bryant.
The "Diesel" teamed up with Penny on the Orlando Magic for three seasons, leading the once-decrepit squad to the 1995 NBA Finals. After leaving the Magic and signing with the Los Angeles Lakers, Shaq joined forces with another talented, headstrong wingman in Kobe . They played together for eight seasons, winning three NBA titles before egos got in the way, which led to the 7-foot-1 center getting traded to the Miami Heat in July 2004.
Seeing that he played with the two, Shaq relayed that he often gets asked who is better. On a recent episode of "The Big Podcast with Shaq," the four-champ revealed how he always responds to such queries.
Penny came in ready to shine
Shaq, the 2000 NBA MVP, first met Penny on the set of the movie, "Blue Chips." The 6-foot-7 guard's talent left such a strong impression on Shaq that he insisted the Magic select Hardaway in the 1993 draft or risk losing him in the future.
The reason for this? Shaq saw that the former Memphis Tiger was ready for the big league. With his elite skill set and composure, the Hall of Famer foresaw what he and Penny could do if they played together, and, for the most part, he was right. In his rookie season, Hardaway averaged 16.0 points, 6.6 assists, 5.4 rebounds, and 2.3 steals per game, finishing runner-up in the Rookie of the Year race to Chris Webber.
"Penny was Kobe before Kobe, and kids today, before this social media era, act like they don't understand what I'm telling them. I have to tell them, 'Do you have Google, you little stupid?? Look and see who Penny was,'" Shaq said .
From there, Penny kept on getting better. His performances in his second and third seasons saw him become an MVP contender and a member of the First Team All-NBA, solidifying his status as one of the league's top players.
"Remember, Penny came in day one like this," Shaq emphasized. "Penny came in as Penny."
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Kobe's ascent took time
Meanwhile, Shaq pointed out that as exceptional as Kobe eventually became, he didn't start that way. After entering the NBA at age 18, Lower Merion High School's product struggled to find his way in the league, playing only 15 minutes per game in his rookie season and averaging 7.6 points. Things began picking up for Bean in his sophomore season, as he became one of the league's most lethal weapons off the bench, averaging 15.6 points per game.
There was no turning back after that, as he became a full-time starter in his third season and was a member of the Third Team All-NBA.
"Kobe's first year, he didn't start. Second year, he didn't start. Third year, they finally said, 'Okay, hey, it's time for him to play.' Then he started. It took Kobe 600 to 900 days to become the Black Mamba," O'Neal remarked.
While Kobe eventually had a Hall of Fame career, Penny's journey—as terrific as it began—didn't have the storybook ending it deserved as he battled injuries his entire career and couldn't realize his full potential. Shaq, though, will always remember Penny as a bona fide superstar, no matter what history might say.
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