Oh my God, this guy was ridiculously talented. He was a combination of Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Pete Maravich. He was virtually unstoppable and he had no weakness in his game except injuries. He could have been one of the greatest.
There is literally no way that a human can play this sport better than what you are seeing here. I've been playing & watching basketball for over 30 years. I have three Penny jerseys, watched him a little when he was in college, had his picture on my wall when he was in college, saw him in Blue Chips in the theater, and now have about 15 of his basketball cards. But somehow I never realized just how savagely aggressive and brilliant he was. He was always a second or two ahead of everyone else on the court mentally, and more than that physically. It looks like he's playing against a bunch of kids, and the announcers are suitably dumbfounded at what they are witnessing. This video has completely changed my perspective on him from being a quirky, tall, pass-happy point guard to being the ultimate weapon, as Sports Illustrated once titled a cover featuring the Penny Hardaway of the NFL, Randall Cunningham. My mind is almost malfunctioning while trying to process what I am viewing. He's like a video game character with every cheat code activated. I kept having to watch the footage closely to determine whether it had been sped up or something, but it has apparently not been. I honestly believe this video is the greatest and most awe-inspiring compilation of this sport ever uploaded to RU-vid. Jordan, T-Mac, Kobe, Grant Hill, etc. were amazing, but never this fluidly effortless on the court. And as for being a clutch player, all his NBA averages went up in the playoffs compared to the regular season. On a related note, if these highlights are any indication, this Memphis team should've eclipsed the Fab 5, Duke, UNLV, Arkansas, etc. in the early '90s.
Well, I mean, highlight videos have certainly had that effect on me sometimes, but they can also be a little misleading I think. For example, this Ricky Rubio highlight video (ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-AHOqxKtvNeQ.html) had me thinking he was the incarnation of Pete Maravich, but obviously that wasn't the reality.
Penny was the most all around player to ever play the game at any level. Worth every penny he ever made. These highlights showcase just how dominant he really was yet so unselfish. Notice that his college career ended in the very same arena his NBA career began, in Orlando.
My guy was literally the prototype for the modern era "big" point guard. LeBron, Tracy McGrady, etc. all modeled their game after him. He was truly Jordan and Magic Johnson mixed. P.S. Back in the day when everybody on the team was from Memphis lol.
So was I and still am 'til this day but the truth is the truth. As Nolan Richardson described Penny, you take Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan and that is Penny. That was not a direct quote as it has been so long ago that I can't remember it but that was pretty close.
Went to Treadwell HS to do a story on Elliott Perry..His coach tells us that we need to keep an eye on this lanky freshman kid named Penny Hardaway...yeah...he wasn’t lying.
Man he was so exciting to watch! Them damn injuries hurt him bad he would have broke alot of records if he stayed healthy! He will always be an all time great!
Nah.. he wasn't better than either of them, IMHO they are all on the same level. Grant hill was a beast just like penny and so was /is LeBron. But penny was the rebirth of magic Johnson without a doubt. He could do it all, shot, pass, defend, post up, play of the ball, he was truly special. And just like grant hill injuries cut his career short.
@@davidchandler6885 back in the 90's we didnt have RU-vid to go dig up old tapes of our favorite players. This shit blew my mind and I was already a huge fan. He would be a #1 pick in this era.
buggzo These Highlight Videos Of Penny Should Be Shown To Every Recruit Who Is Deciding If They Should Play For Coach Penny At The U of M! One Of The Greatest Basketball Minds Of ALL Time! His WILL To Win At Every Level Made Him Work Harder At Developing His Mad Skills! Any High School Kid Who Would Pass Up The Chance To Be Recruited By Penny Hardaway Is Not Worth Being Recruited Anyway! #GTG
Penny Hardaway was my 1st favorite player as a kid. Sometimes when you look back at certain movies, songs, people you watched perform in a sport etc. you realize that it wasn't as great as you remembered it to be. But looking back on these and other pro highlights from Penny in his young days before injuries set in, I can honestly say that Penny was BETTER than I remembered him to be. I know we like to make comparisons but to tell you the truth, I don't know if there was ever anyone quite like Penny before or since. He was a special talent. P.S. That pass at 8:37 would have been arguably a top 10 all-time play in College basketball history if he would have made the layup smh
Blockade Runner Maybe he had the wrong coach lifting weights look at what it did for Scottie Pippen, Michael Jordan,Charles Barkley, Kobe Bryant it lengthen their careers.
Lifting weights and increased flexibility makes you a stronger and more durable athlete which is why it's advocated in all major sports. Lifting doesn't prevent the possibility of injuries, as all athletes incur injuries at some point in their careers. But it's scientifically proven to reduce that possibility of being injured if done correctly. Rest assured, a professional athlete who doesn't strength train is at greater risk of breaking down.
@@richardcollins2622 Thank you I mentioned ppl like Michael Jordan,Scottie Pippen,Kobe Bryant,Dwayne Wade,Charles Barkley as some of beneficiaries of strength training.
I keep seeing this King Cotton commerical and ran across this video. Penny is the man. He kept the game and the fans excited!!! Be ups and much respect Coach!!!!!
@@TheTonytone77 My man....How u like Magic and Penny but don't like LeBron? He's a more athletic Magic and his game is a little more put together than Penny's.
Had he stayed his senior yeare, we might have made it to the Final Four, he was a special talent. Had his knees not failed him, he could have been one of the best ever
Peep the full court bounce pass alley oop @11:57. Fucking unreal. Never seen anything like it. Back in the 90's we didnt have RU-vid to dig up old tape of our favorite players. These Memphis highlights just blew my mind and I was already a huge fan. And Penny would have been a #1 pick in today's era.
If he had stayed healthy and won at least 2 championships, he would’ve been in discussions as one of the top 5 players in NBA history. He was a complete 2K player. Not just a scorer, but a total team player
Why is he not in the hall of Fame. Short career, but Man. What a GOAT. Watch him facing off against Jordan for the first time. You will be shocked , this guy was a machine. Played a little golf with Penny around Memphis, he putts like he shoots free throws. What a talent. The greatest Treadwell Eagle ever. Thanks Penny.
As an avid Arkansas Razorback lifelong fan, these were the years our basketball team was elite. We won a National Championship in 1994, National Runner-Up in 1995, a Final Four appearance in 1990, and an Elite Eight appearance in 1991 under Hall of Fame Coach Nolan Richardson. When Coach Richardson was recruiting Penny Hardaway and he announced his top two college choices were between the Razorbacks and Memphis, I was elated. I heard he wanted to go to Arkansas badly, but turned us down because his grandmother wanted him to stay close to home. I shed a few tears and cringed. I am a firm believer that if he would have committed to us, we would have won another National Championship or two. Penny was the truth.
My wife and I were at his first game as a Memphis Tiger. Early in the game he made this stutter step move at the top of the key, totally sold out the upper body motion as a pass to his right, adjusted, and wrist flipped a rocket of a pass back to his left through the lane. The pass caught the Memphis guy off guard. i recall turning to my wife and saying- if you are on the court, you are open with this kid. He was one of a kind.
His fundamentals and creativity were magical and I am so sad he got robbed by injuries. He could have been a HOF. But the show he put on - 8:35 - that is what made Penny special. I had to watch this multiple times - the timing and vision of that play is mind boggling. Will always love Penny.
I'm so glad you commented on that specifically because to me, that is the greatest pass I have ever seen in basketball & no one else has ever did a pass like that on any level
Man this takes me back seeing this. I loved penny man.. he and shaq were one hell of a duo in orlando. Even took down the unbeatable bulls in the playoffs.
So hard to believe But I remember watching Penny make some of those shots live and in person at the Tomb of Doom! Dave was calling the games then and is still calling them today! Every member of his 2021/22 team needs to watch this highlight reel of their Coach and Memphis’s Favorite Son! #GTG
As good as this video is, I can remember a play that Penny made that even after the slow-motion replay I couldn't figure out what he did and how. The prettiest play that showed his imagination--not listed in the video--was when someone threw a pass from the opponent's end of the court as Penny broke away. He let the ball go over his head, or perhaps it was too high to catch, let it bounce, and then catches the ball at its apex and dunks.
Penny Hardaway was the Truth! If it had not been for his injuries, he would've a couple of Championships today! I wonder if Lil' Penny still throwing parties at his house?😂😂👊✊👍
im str8 outta Memphis wen Memphis state played a home game after da tip dey setit off wit an alley oop dat was da shit.. only n da movies n only n Memphis!!!!!!
My prep school (of nothing but WHITE boys) would go to Treadwell, East, Kingsbury, and on and on ghetto school and get destroyed by their teams. We'd go down the court and the ball would get stolen over and over and over. It was a massacre. I hated playing against them cause I was so slow and had no business playing basketball. I was a baseball player.
