Penny Hardaway was a superstar in the making.
He and Shaq dominated on the court with the Orlando Magic until ego got in the way and pushed the two players apart, ultimately paving the path for Shaq to win multiple championships while Penny suffered from injuries and eventually retired in 2007.
But he’s still a beloved figure in the world of basketball, although today Spurs’ fans wanted to carve him up verbally for his recent statement that Kawhi Leonard wasn’t a superstar.
Apparently, only part of his discussion on Sirius XM’s NBA show The Bottomline was heard before people went crazy on him. After San Antonio took to social media to get at him, Hardaway had to take to social media as well where he told everyone to “calm down” and listen to the interview again.
He clearly stated that he was giving the Spurs’ All-Star player superstar status, but that Leonard didn’t like the things that came with the position, which includes the media and commercials. You can hear the excerpt below:
Hopefully Penny will be allowed in San Antonio after his comments were clarified. But if you need further proof check his Instagram page where he stated the following:
“Calm down people. I never said that Kawhi wasn’t a superstar. I know that he is a superstar. I only stated that he doesn’t like the media and endorsement side of being a super star. Best 2-way player in the league.”
Best 2-way player in the league. Sounds like superstar status to us.
