The story we’ve heard over and over from the big man himself went like this – Orlando Magic’s biggest star, Shaquille O’Neal told the team to pick his Blue Chips co-star in the draft or he walks. The result was one of the greatest partnerships in franchise history. Then there’s the story from the other guy, Anfernee “Penny” Hardaway. He went from college star to actor to NBA star, a little different trajectory for the regular athlete. And he made the most of it.

Adam Lefkoe asked the right question when Penny Hardaway was on The Big Podcast. He wanted to know how it felt that O’Neal made Orlando move all these pieces – like trade Chris Webber – to get him after they met while filming a movie. Like a subtle noir story villain, he disclosed after three decades, that was his plan all along.

“Here’s the thing with me, I was extremely smart,” Hardaway started in the spirit of full disclosure. “When I knew I was on the movie Blue Chips, because I knew Shaq was the most dominant person in the league and to me and I wanted to play with him really badly because I knew he would make my life easy. So when I was going to Blue Chips, I knew that I was going to get him the ball.”

Given how history went down, that was a sound plan. NBA rookie Shaq and Memphis star Hardaway were cast in Blue Chips, a movie based on college basketball, with other NBA youngsters of that era. The movie was released in 1994 but Magic would draft Hardaway 3rd overall in the 1993 NBA draft. Because he had essentially auditioned to play the part of Shaq’s sidekick.

“Every time Shaq looks up, every time his head raises, every time his hand is up, that ball is going to be hitting his hands every single time, because I want him to know this is exactly how I would do it in the league,” was Hardaway’s goal.

It wasn’t difficult. The director allowed his athlete-actors to play real basketball throughout the movie except for that cinematic last game. And he showed O’Neal what their partnership would be like.

Penny Hardaway ‘acted’ like Shaquille O’Neal’s sidekick

Shaq initially thought Hardaway was an actor. So he was blown away by his skills while filming the movie. When he found out that he’s declared for the NBA draft, Shaq went back to his team to subtly threaten them into drafting Hardaway. Both acknowledged that while Chris Webber was phenomenal, a guard-big combination like Shaq and Penny was what Orlando needed over a ‘big-big’ combination.

Back then, observers felt Orlando had traded down after securing Shaq just a season ago who led a bottom-feeder team to a jaw-dropping 41-41 record. No one predicted Penny would be a draft lottery alongside Superman. They’d lead Orlando past a post-retirement Michael Jordan and to the NBA Finals.

Though the partnership fractured bitterly, Penny had become Shaq’s ‘Kobe before Kobe’ for a long time. And it all started with a bit of acting.

Stay tuned for more such updates, and to follow what Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, has to say about the infamous Shaq-Kobe feud, Caitlin Clark’s Olympic snub, and more, watch this video.