Oh boy, how fun the Orlando Magic were back in the early 1990s. A new superstar in the form of Shaquille O’Neal was ready to take the league by storm and automatically enter battles with giants like Hakeem Olajuwon, Patrick Ewing and David Robinson. To make things even more interesting, by his side, he had one of the biggest rising stars at point guard at the time, Penny Hardaway.
A dynamic duo, but one that never reached its full potential. Shaq was drafted in 1992, Penny in 1993, and after just one campaign together, they showed the league they meant business. A team that just two seasons before their pairing had a 21-61 overall record suddenly found itself at the top of the East with a 50-32 mark. That’s how good that combo was, and many predicted a championship for them if they stayed together.
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Hardaway’s injuries started the downfall that soon forced O’Neal to leave
Although they eventually reached the Finals, where they were surprisingly swept by the Houston Rockets, Penny’s injuries started the downfall that soon forced Shaq to leave for the Los Angeles Lakers.
There, he paired with Kobe Bryant and went on to win three titles in a row, something many thought he’d achieve with Penny.
Brian Shaw, who was part of that Lakers squad, explained on Byron Scott’s “Fastbreak” podcast why Penny and Shaq never had the same success as The Big Diesel later found with the Black Mamba.
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“I have to take Kobe and Shaq because what we accomplished, what they accomplished, and the level they got to in terms of players,” Shaw said. “That’s no slight to Penny Hardaway at all and young Shaq, because Penny was a bad boy. He was on his way. It’s a shame. He was rushed. He tore something in the back of his ACL when we were in Orlando, and they kind of rushed him back, and it never got right again.”
“Him and Shaq at times clashed because Kobe wasn’t willing to relent, but that also made it fun in a way. They drove each other. If they said Kobe and the Lakers against D-Wade and the Heat, Shaq would be pissed off,” he added.
The key difference between Penny’s and Kobe’s mentalities
It’s well known that Kobe, from the very first day he stepped on the NBA hardwood, had in his mind the vision of being the next Michael Jordan, the unquestioned alpha of his team. The fact that Shaq was already one of the best in the league didn’t matter to the young Bryant, who came straight out of high school.
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Penny, on the other hand, was more of a team-first player, someone who gladly let the legendary center take the lead role. That’s the key difference between Penny’s and Kobe’s mentalities, and exactly where Shaw sees the foundation of Phil Jackson’s team success.
Shaq was known as a laid-back guy, but Kobe’s drive and dedication clearly pushed him to be the best version of himself. Eventually, the partnership ended with Shaq being traded to the Miami Heat, a move that in many ways confirmed Shaw’s words about how far their rivalry had gone. Even O’Neal himself once compared their relationship to the movie The Godfather.
“And if you look up at our relationship, it’s the classic tale of The Godfather,” Shaq said. “You got the Godfather that came from Orlando and he’s the Godfather. But you have a young capo. And finally [shows gun signals with his hands]. He’s Michael [Corleone], I’m the Godfather, ‘cuz remember when I came to LA, I was already established.”
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As much as their rivalry eventually cost them the chance to win even more championships together, Shaw, who had a front-row seat to all the intricacies, still sees it as the key reason the Lakers reached astronomical heights.
Penny’s legacy, on the other hand, despite all the injuries, is far bigger than the championship ring he never got. When someone of LeBron James’ stature credits Hardaway as the inspiration behind his game and his unselfish mindset, there isn’t much left to say.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Sep 3, 2025, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.