Penny Hardaway Still Wants to Play in the NBA

Hardaway just won’t let the dream die. He tells the Boston Globe that he can still contribute to a team in the League: “He believes he has enough skills left to come off the bench for spurts and enough experience to serve as a leader. ‘It’s not about money,’ he said. ‘I saved my money, have all the money that I want. God has blessed me with that. It’s really just the love of the game’ … After a short stint with the Heat in 2006, Hardaway has waited for a call from an NBA team. He is relegated to sitting courtside at Grizzlies games, longing for an opportunity to be an old man on a championship-caliber roster, but knowing it’s highly unlikely. ‘I still love the game and I feel like I deserve that chance, but at 39, everybody’s looking at the age,’ he said. ‘They’re not looking at it as if I can still play. I don’t have a lot of miles on my body because my knee was hurt for so long. But I feel like I can play a minimal role on anybody’s team and help out. Role players now are playing 10-12 minutes a night. That’s simple, man. My knowledge, my playmaking ability, I can still knock down an open shot. I watch the game and still see things out there I can do to help teams, but who knows if that will ever happen? I doubt it, but I’ll be ready if the situation did occur.’ Hardaway plays in local leagues to stay in shape and still looks close to his playing weight. But aging point guards aren’t in demand in the NBA, especially with this generation of speedsters such as Rajon Rondo and Derrick Rose.”