Penny Hardaway talks ‘Ozark,’ ‘The Last Dance’
What has surprised Hardaway about ‘The Last Dance’?
Penny Hardaway can't get enough of “Ozark.”
Netflix's dark drama, starring Jason Bateman and Laura Linney, has enthralled the Memphis basketball coach during the coronavirus pandemic.
“It's one of those shows that will keep you going,” he said. “You'll binge watch episode after episode after episode after episode. You'll start at 10 in the morning and don't stop until midnight. It's that good.”
Hardaway also hasn't missed an episode of ESPN'S “The Last Dance.” Four episodes into the 10-part documentary on the Chicago Bulls' 1997-98 season, the former NBA All-star said there have been a number of standout — even surprising — moments.
No. 1 was Scottie Pippen's holdout during his contract dispute with the Bulls. Hardaway's comments were included in a video the university released Friday in response to questions from local media.
“I don't remember Scottie Pippen sitting out the first part of the season,” said Hardaway, who was in his fifth of six seasons with the Magic in 1997-98.
“Don't know what I was doing back then. Don't know where I was. Maybe I knew and forgot.”
Second was the relationship between Chicago's star players, Michael Jordan and Pippen, and the team's general manager, Jerry Krause.
“The second thing was … how they just were on him all the time,” Hardaway said. “That's very unusual. You don't do GMS like that.”
Last, Hardaway came away from watching the third episode — which ended with Dennis Rodman announc
ing he needed a vacation — incredulous.
“Dennis Rodman’s vacation that he took during the season that was supposed to be for 48 hours,” he said. “You don’t even get a day (most of the time), but he gets 48 hours. And five days later, Michael Jordan has to come and get you from a hotel in Vegas. That’s absurd. And then, they were still winning. Crazy.”
When asked whether he went through anything similar with a teammate, Hardaway said: “No. Never played with Dennis.”
By the time Hardaway joined the Orlando Magic in 1993, Jordan had already retired in the wake of his father’s murder and gone on to play professional baseball. But the six-time NBA champion returned to basketball in March 1995, and later faced Hardaway’s Magic in the Eastern Conference semifinals. In Game 3 of the series, Jordan wore a pair of Hardaway’s signature Nike Air Flight One sneakers — the only time he wore any shoe other than his own in an NBA game. That’s something that still amazes him, especially knowing how competitive Jordan is.
“Michael definitely is (overdosed) on competitive nature,” Hardaway said. “He’s always having to compete in every single thing he does. He lives for speed. He lives for the competitive nature. He’ll bet everybody in the (golf ) group on every single thing. ‘I bet I can drive it farther than you. I bet I can hit it closer to the hole than you. I bet I can make this putt — $10,000 to your $1,000.’ I mean, that’s just who he is.”