Former NBA player Penny Hardaway revealed the moment he won the respect of Michael Jordan.
Jordan is arguably one of the greatest basketball players in the history of the league and instilled great fear in his opponents.
He won six championships in the 90s and formed a brand which become renowned worldwide.
On his way to NBA greatness, Jordan faced some tough opponents and one of them was Hardaway.
The point-guard was a special player and alongside Shaquille O’Neal helped Orlando Magic to the NBA Finals in 1995.
Hardaway earlier revealed O’Neal’s departure from the Magic left him devastated as the duo had a lot of potential and could have also won championships.
The four-time All-Star went against Chicago Bulls‘ Jordan several times and revealed the strategy he used which eventually helped him win the respect of the six-time champion.
Hardaway was one of the most elite point-guards in the 90s and his skillset was unique.
While his resume did not match to Jordan’s, Hardaway made sure that did not come into the way when they matched up.
Speaking on ‘The Pivot Podcast,’ Hardaway said: “The ultimate respect was he got off me and put Scottie on me.
“That, to me, was the ultimate respect, because Mike, he defensive first team, he that guy, took him to the post. Nobody had ever posted MJ like that.
“The ultimate respect was when Scottie started guarding me after that, I was like okay, I got his respect now.”
Penny Hardaway came into the league after Michael Jordan and faced him several times in his prime.
The Bulls guard was one of the most fierce competitors and Hardaway revealed the only way to stand up against Jordan was to go at him first.
“You go at him first. Don’t give him the chance to go at you. And that was my mentality. Because, I felt like this is the goat. I get a chance to go against him, to compete against him. I gotta destroy him. My thing was to destroy him, to get him to respect me.
“I already had the ultimate respect for him, but I was gonna compete and go at him, and that’s what I did,” said Hardaway.
After getting drafted third overall in 1993, Hardaway was one of the most consistent performers, but injuries hampered his career.
He left the Magic in 1999 and played for a few other teams, but Hardaway was never really able to replicate his performances from earlier years.
Hardaway was highly appreciative of Jordan as he revealed the Bulls guard got the best out of him.
Speaking on Jordan, Hardaway said: “He was a guy that made you lock in, and if you didn’t lock in, you’re gonna get destroyed. I am a huge Michael Jordan fan. He’s the greatest basketball player of all time.”
