Drafted in 1992, Shaquille O’Neal would become the face of the Orlando Magic for 4 years. Alongside Anfernee ‘Penny’ Hardaway, the duo would form a lethal partnership that made the Orlando Magic into an Eastern Conference powerhouse. In fact, they even carried the franchise to the NBA Finals in 1995. However, they would fall to the Houston Rockets in 4 games.

However, over the years, the relationship between the two stars soured. Eventually, Shaq would leave Orlando and join the Lakers in the in the summer of 1996. This would mark the end of the Shaq-Penny partnership that gave Magic fans so many iconic moments. However, before Shaq left, he featured in a TV commercial in January 1996 that was regarded by many as a jab at Penny.

The 1996 Reebok Commercial

Little Penny was an iconic character that was developed by Nike as the ‘alter ego’ of Penny Hardaway. However, the character would appear in Shaq’s 1996 Reebok commercial. Moreover, Shaq’s statements in the commercial appeared to be a dig at Hardaway.

“There’s only 1 thing in my head. The championship. The championship!” said Shaq.

“Cuz I got 10 fingers and no rings. And I love jewellery. That’s what’s on my mind. This is my planet,” he added as knocked off Little Penny from a chair.

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Clearly, there appears to have been some sort of friction between the 2 stars. In fact, Shaq would later admit that it was his ‘ego’ that ended his partnership with Hardaway.

Shaquille O’Neal and Penny Hardaway  – ’94-’95 Orlando Magic

The 1994-95 Orlando Magic featured a strong partnership between Shaq and Penny. In fact, it would be the season where the Orlando Magic made their first finals appearance in franchise history. The partnership between Shaq and Penny was phenomenal. Both players were outstanding scorers. In fact, Shaq had the highest scoring average that season. However, each of them had an additional impact. For Hardaway, it was his playmaking ability, while it was the rebounding ability for Shaq. In that season, the duo led the team to a 57 wins which was the best record in the East.

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Thereafter came the playoffs, In the first round, the Magic trounced the Boston Celtics in 4 games to take the series 3-1. Following which, they faced a stern test from the Chicago Bulls, who had just added Michael Jordan to its roster when he returned after his first retirement. Despite Jordan’s return to the team, the Magic overcame the Bulls in six games. Soon, Shaq and Penny found themselves in the Eastern Conference finals in a hard fought battle against the Indiana Pacers. However, it was the duo who would come out on top and make it to the finals. But this was as far as the Magic’s success went. In dominating fashion, Hakeem Olajuwon’s Houston Rockets swept the Magic to take the 1995 NBA championship.