“Hadn’t Made His Comeback, I Was Out There Representing Him”: Shaquille O’Neal’s Ex-Teammate Reminisced about the Pride of Personifying Michael Jordan’s Absence

NBA icon Michael Jordan already established himself as arguably the best player by the time when he won his first three championships with the Chicago Bulls. However, NBA buffs missed his on-court exploits for almost 18 months as MJ decided to retire after winning three rings. Speaking of MJ’s absence from NBA, a certain player who played against him and with Shaquille O’Neal, recently disclosed the way he represented His Airness in the league in his absence.

The said player is none other than the former Orlando Magic player and four-time All-Star Penny Hardaway. He debuted in the league in 1993 – the same year when the former Bulls player went into the Minor League Baseball to smash balls outside of the park.

Penny Hardaway reveals how he represented Michael Jordan in his absence in the league

In a new video uploaded by Complex on YouTube, Hardaway could be seen looking forward to buying some sneakers along with talking about the ones he wore during his playing days. In one instance, the host, Joe La Puma asked him if he remembered wearing the Air Jordan 9 PEs before getting his own signature shoes. Hardaway replied, “Absolutely.” The host subsequently asked whether the Jordan 9 PEs were funneled to him or if he got his hands on those shoes in any other way.

The four-time All-Star responded by saying, “Yea. They were just funneling them to me – obviously, MJ wasn’t in the league at the time and he hadn’t made his comeback yet, so I was out there representing him as well.” 

The former Magic player’s way of representing MJ was nothing but unique. Incidentally, the four-time All-Star used to wear the exclusive editions of Jordan 9 during his rookie season. However, he ultimately got his own signature shoes: Air Max Penny 1 from Nike in 1995 after he dazzled everyone with his skills on the court.

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MJ once wore Hardaway’s shoes

The former Bulls player always stepped on the hardwood wearing his usual Nike shoes except once. The 14x All-Star showcased his flair in Game 3 of the 1995 Eastern Conference Semifinal against the Orlando Magic wearing Hardaway’s shoes: Nike Air Flight Ones. The four-time All-Star in an appearance on NBA Hoopervision revealed his thoughts on Jordan wearing his shoes in the 90s. He said, “For him to wear my shoes, I was tripping.”

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What are your thoughts on how Penny Hardaway represented Michael Jordan in his absence? Let us know in the comments below.