The partnership of Penny Hardaway and Shaquille O’Neal led the Magic to the NBA Finals in their second season together. But there is a story of how this duo was formed. It was not on the hardwood but on a movie set before the 1993 draft, where the Orlando Magic traded away their number 1 pick.
Actor Rob Ryder, who was also part of the Blue Chips movie, spilled the beans on the story of Shaquille O’Neal speaking to his agent about ways to add Penny to his team. A year prior, Magic invested in O’Neal and was looking at Wolverines superstar Chris Webber, who was the consensus top pick of that draft class. A 6’10” forward alongside Shaq would have dominated the East, at least that was the vision, but it changed after Shaq’s phone call.
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We also hired Penny Hardaway, and he was like brilliant, silky smooth, 67 guard, could shoot the lights out, said Ryder on Taboo’s Comics and Kicks podcast. “We were down at the gym just working out. Shaq got to know Penny really well and made a few calls to his agent. Like, I wanted to play with this guy. I don’t want to play with Weber.’
“So, Shaq twisted some arms to get Hardway to play with him. And the people in Orlando were pissed.” The story of Shaquille O’Neal pushing for Hardaway over Webber is true. Even the Big Aristotle confirmed it. In an old interview, O’Neal confirmed that he spoke to the Magic GM and flexed his Superman muscles.
“The Magic was going to take Chris Webber, but I went in to talk to Orlando general manager and flexed my Superman muscles. I told him, ‘Listen, I understand you want Webber, but this cat Penny Hardaway is the answer. If you put us together, we could be like Magic and Kareem. If you don’t bring Penny I’m here, then maybe I’ve got to think about doing something else.”
It was enough for the Magic to trade their #1 pick, despite Webber, who was a can’t-miss prospect with his average of 17.0 points and 10.4 rebounds. Orlando’s general manager at that time, Pat Williams, described the hostile reaction from the crowd after announcing their trade plans.
Penny Hardaway knew about the trade
Despite C-Webb being Magic’s first pick, he was sent to the Golden State Warriors for a package of Penny Hardaway and multiple future first-round picks. When Orlando announced their first pick as Webber, Williams recalled that the fans were “hysterical.” However, when they announced the trade plans, the crowd turned hostile.
“I tried to explain it to our fans. They didn’t want to hear anything. They drowned me out,” Pat Williams had stated. “The best I could do was, ‘Fans, you’re booing tonight, but Penny is going to turn your boos to cheers.’ And then I got off the stage as fast as I could. Nothing I could say that night would appease them.”
Speaking about the trade, Penny stated, “I knew (about the trade), and I don’t think Chris knew about the trade. I think it was more of a shock to him. He wanted to play in Orlando and not Golden State because he wanted to play with Shaq. He wanted to be more on the perimeter.”
Having the monstrous Shaquille O’Neal at center and Webber at power forward would have given the Magic a mighty frontcourt. But instead, Shaq wanted Penny, a partnership.
