A one-cent coin from the United States, known colloquially as a 'penny'.

A variety of the low-value coins, including an (historical) Irish 2 pence piece and many United States pennies

A silver copy of the rare and valuable 1930 Australian penny

Coin of Eric Bloodaxe. The legend reads "ERIC REX" (King Eric).

A penny is a coin (pl. pennies) or a type of currency (pl. pence) used in several English-speaking countries. It is often the smallest denomination within a currency system.

Etymology[link]

Old English versions of the word penny are penig, pening, penning and pending; the word appears in German as Pfennig, in Dutch and Swedish (often shortened to peng) as penning, and in West Frisian as peinje or penje. In Swedish, Norwegian, and Danish, the most common words for money are pengar, penger and penge respectively. These words are thought by some to have common roots with the English word "pawn", German Pfand, and Dutch pand, words which mean "a pledge or token".^[1]

Origin and history of development[link]

The silver penny of medieval Europe was modeled on similar small silver coins from antiquity: the Greek drachma and Roman Denarius. There are also archeology exibitions that show traces of pennies in Sweden and Norway. Researchers believe that this might be the result of Viking influence in northern Europe.^{[citation needed]}

When Britain was under Roman rule, most of Britain used the coin-based monetary system that was used by the Roman Empire, but their system of coinage soon changed after the Romans left. As the invading Anglo-Saxons began to settle and establish their own kingdoms, some started to make gold coins based on the old Roman designs or designs copied from the coins used in the Frankish kingdoms. Their monetary system had several serious flaws: first, gold was so valuable, that even the smallest coins were very valuable, thus, these gold coins would only be used in large transactions. Further, gold was very rare, and this rarity prevented such coins from being common enough to use for even large transactions.

Between the years 641 and 670 AD, there seems to have been a movement by the Anglo-Saxons to use less pure gold in coins. This made the coins appear paler, decreased their value, and may have increased the number that could be made, but it still did not solve the problems of value and scarcity of coins made mostly of gold.

Sceattas[link]

Around the year 680 a new type of small silver coin appeared which some have identified as "sceattas" or "sceat".^{[citation needed]} Others suggest that sceatta was a specific measurement of a precious metal.

[edit] First pennies

Through the end of the 7th century, no Anglo-Saxon coins had been minted in any metal besides gold.

In Northumbria, pennies made of silver were being minted in the name of Bishop Eadbert (consecrated between 772 and 782, died between 787 and 789), some in the name of his brother Archbishop Egbert (the shilling is one of the oldest of English coins, preceding the penny).^[2]

Pepin the Short, in about 735, minted the novus denarius. The novus denarius was based on the denarius and the penny was based on the novus denarius.^[3] He declared that 240 pennies or pfennigs should be minted from one Carolingian pound, approximately 326 grams (11.5 oz), of silver, so a single coin contained about 1.36 grams (0.048 oz) of silver. (As of December 2011, this would cost about £0.98).

Circa 790 Charlemagne instituted a major monetary reform, introducing a new silver penny with a smaller diameter but greater mass. Surviving examples of this penny have an average mass of 1.70 gram (although some experts estimate the ideal theoretical mass at 1.76 gram). The purity is variously given as 0.95 or 0.96.^[4][5][6]

The penny was introduced into England by King Offa, the king of Mercia (from 757 until his death in July 796), using as a model a coin first struck by Pepin the Short. King Offa minted a penny made of silver which weighed 22¹⁄₂ grains or 240 pennies weighing one Saxon pound (or Tower pound—equal to 5,400 grains—as it was afterwards called), hence the term pennyweight.

The coinage of Offa's lifetime falls essentially into two phases, one of the light pennies of medium flan comparable to those of the reign of Pepin and the first decades of that of Charlemagne in France, and another of heavier pennies struck on larger flans that date from Offa's last years and correspond in size to Charlemagne's novus denarius introduced in 793/4. But the sceat fabric survived in East Anglia under Beonna and until the mid 9th century in Northumbria, while the new-style coinages were not merely those of Offa, but were stuck also by king of East Anglia, Kent, and Wessex, by two archbishops of Canterbury, and even in the name of Offa's queen, Cynethryth.^[7]

Henry III in 1257 minted a gold penny which had the value of twenty silver pence. The weight and value of the silver penny steadily declined from 1300 onwards.

The penny, with a few exceptions, was the only coin issued in England until the introduction of the gold florin by Edward III in December of 1343.

In 1527 the Tower pound of 5,400 grains was abolished and replaced by the Troy pound of 5,760 grains.

Halfpence and farthings became a regular part of the coinage at that time, money which was created by cutting pennies to halves and quarters for trade purposes, a practice said to have originated in the reign of Æthelred II.

The last coinage of silver pence for general circulation was in the reign of Charles II. Since then silver pence have only been coined for issue as royal alms on Maundy Thursdays.

First use of copper[link]

Pennies were made of copper in the United States of America as early as 1793 (Chain Cent).^[8]

The penny that was brought to the Cape Colony was a large coin—41 mm in diameter, 5 mm thick and 2 oz (57 g). On it was Britannia with a trident in her hand. The English called this coin the Cartwheel penny due to its large size and raised rim,^[9] but the Capetonians referred to it as the Devil's Penny as they assumed that only the Devil used a trident.^[10] The coins were very unpopular due to their large weight and size.^[11]

The first copper coins that Boulton minted for the British Government are known as 'cartwheels', because of their large size and raised rims. The Soho Mint struck 500 short tons (450 t) of these penny and twopenny pieces in 1797, and issued further copper coins for the Government in 1799, 1806 and 1807. All together the Mint produced over £600,000 worth of copper official English coinage as well as separate copper coins for Ireland and the Isle of Man.

On 6 June 1825 Sir Charles Somerset issued a proclamation that only British Sterling would be legal tender in the Cape. The new British coins (which were introduced in England in 1816), among them being the shilling, six pence of silver, the penny, half penny and quarter penny in copper, were introduced to the Cape. Later two shilling, four penny and three penny coins were added to the coinage. The size and denomination of the 1816 British coins, with the exception of the four-penny coins, were used in South Africa until 1960.^[10]

Use of bronze[link]

In 1860 in Britain bronze pennies were introduced in place of copper ones, though they were not entirely made of bronze; instead it was an alloy containing 95 parts of copper, 4 of tin, and 1 of zinc. The weight was also reduced: 1 lb of bronze was coined into 48 pennies, versus 1 lb of copper which was coined into 24 pennies.^[3][12][13]

Value[link]

U.S. pennies

The penny is among the lowest denomination of coins in circulation.

• ¹⁄₁₀₀ of the British pound sterling (see British one penny coin), the Manx pound, the former Irish pound, the Gibraltar pound, the Jersey Pound, the Guernsey Pound, the Saint Helena pound, the Falkland Islands pound, or a coin with that value: see History of the English penny.
• ¹⁄₂₄₀ of the British pound sterling or Irish pound before decimalisation on 15 February 1971, of the Pound Scots prior to 1707, and also the pre-decimalisation currencies of Australia, New Zealand and South Africa (¹⁄₁₂ of the shilling), or a coin of that value.
• A common colloquial name for the one-cent coin in the United States and in Canada, worth ¹⁄₁₀₀ of the dollar: see Penny (U.S. coin), Penny (Canadian coin).

In addition, variants of the word penny, with which they share a common root, are or were the names of certain units of currency in non-English-speaking countries:

• A fening is ¹⁄₁₀₀ of a Bosnia and Herzegovina convertible mark
• A Pfennig was ¹⁄₁₀₀ of a German Mark and is sometimes still used by Germans as the name for the 1c coin of the Euro
• A penni was ¹⁄₁₀₀ of a Finnish markka

In the United States and Canada, "penny" is normally used to refer to a "cent." Elsewhere in the English-speaking world, the plural of "penny" is "pence" when referring to a quantity of money and "pennies" when referring to a number of coins.^[14] Thus a coin worth five times as much as one penny is worth five pence, but "five pennies" means five coins, each of which is a penny.

When dealing with British or Irish (pound) money, amounts of the decimal "new pence" less than £1 may be suffixed with "p", as in 2p, 5p, 26p, 72p. Pre-1971 amounts of less than 1/- (one shilling) were denoted with a "d" which derived from the term "denarius", as in 2d, 6d, 10d.

Irish pound decimal coinage only used "p" to designate units (possibly as this sufficed for both the English word "pence", and Irish form "pingin").

Criticism[link]

Handling and counting penny coins makes transaction costs that may be higher than a penny. It has been claimed that for micropayments the mental arithmetic costs more than the penny. Australia and New Zealand now use 5¢ and 10¢, respectively, as their lowest denomination^[15], with Canada set to follow suit as per the most recent Federal budget.^[16]

Changes in the price of metal commodity, combined with the continual debasement of paper currencies, causes the metal value of pennies to exceed their face value.^[17][18] Several nations have stopped minting equivalent value coins, and efforts have been made to end the routine use of pennies in several countries, including Canada and the United States.^[19] In the UK, since 1992, one- and two-penny coins have been made from copper-plated steel (making them magnetic) instead of bronze.

Idioms[link]

To "spend a penny" in British idiom means to urinate. The etymology of the phrase is literal; some public toilets used to be coin-operated, with a pre-decimal penny being the charge levied. The first recorded charge of a penny for use of a toilet was at the The Great Exhibition of 1851. Eventually, around the same time as the introduction of decimal coinage, British Rail gradually introduced better public toilets with the name Superloo and the much higher charge of 6d (2¹⁄₂p).^[20]

Finding a penny is sometimes considered lucky and gives rise to the saying, "Find a penny, pick it up, and all the day you'll have good luck." This may be a corruption of "See a pin and pick it up, all the day you'll have good luck" and similar verses, as quoted in The Frank C. Brown collection of North Carolina folklore and other places.

It is also believed that one may get rid of bad luck by dropping a penny on the ground. The bad luck will go with the coin and be acquired by the next person to pick it up.

List of pennies[link]

• Australian penny
• British penny
  • British penny (pre-decimal)
• Canadian penny
• Irish penny
  • Irish penny (pre-decimal)
• U.S. penny

See also[link]

• Coins of the pound sterling
• Efforts to eliminate the penny in the United States
• History of the English penny (c. 600 – 1066)
• Legal Tender Modernization Act
• One cent (disambiguation)
• Penny sizes of nails
• Pennyweight
• Pfennig
• Smashed penny
• Prutah

References[link]

External links[link]

• The MegaPenny Project - A visualisation of what exponential numbers of pennies would look like.
• Silver Pennies - Pictures of English silver pennies from Anglo-Saxon times to the present.
• Copper Pennies - Pictures of English copper pennies from 1797 to 1860.

Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway

No. 1, 7
Point guard / Shooting guard
Personal information
Born	(1971-07-18) July 18, 1971 (age 40) Memphis, Tennessee
Nationality	American
High school	Treadwell High School
Listed height	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
Listed weight	195 lb (88 kg)
Career information
College	Memphis State (1991–1993)
NBA Draft	1993 / Round: 1 / Pick: 3rd overall
Selected by the Golden State Warriors
Pro career	1993–2007
Career history
1993–1999	Orlando Magic
1999–2004	Phoenix Suns
2004–2006	New York Knicks
2007	Miami Heat
Career highlights and awards
4× NBA All-Star (1995–1998) 2× All-NBA First Team (1995–1996) All-NBA Third Team (1997) NBA All-Rookie First Team (1994) 2× Great Midwest Conference Player of the Year (1992–1993) Consensus NCAA All-American First Team (1993)
Career NBA statistics
Points	10,684 (15.2 ppg)
Assists	3,525 (5.0 apg)
Steals	1,125 (1.6 spg)
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Medals Men's basketball Competitor for the  United States Gold 1996 Atlanta Team competition

Anfernee Deon "Penny" Hardaway (born July 18, 1971) is a former American professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA), specializing as an unconventionally tall point guard. His most productive years came in his days as a member of the Orlando Magic as well as the early portion of his stint with the Phoenix Suns. Hardaway was an All-NBA player early in his career, but was plagued by constant injuries which gradually reduced his effectiveness. He played for New York Knicks from 2004 to 2006 and last played for the Miami Heat, who released him December 12, 2007.

Beginnings[link]

Hardaway's nickname came as a result of his grandmother's calling him "Pretty" with a southern drawl, thus sounding like "Penny."^[1] Hardaway was raised by his grandmother while his mother was away working. His first love was football but his grandmother did not want him to get hurt. He grew up in the Binghampton neighborhood of shotgun houses in Memphis, Tennessee. As a teenager, despite his rising popularity around the city, in high school, and the nation, Penny continued to work as a referee of youth sports at the Memphis YMCA and played on the Memphis Y.M.C.A. Jr. Olympic basketball teams as a youth.

High school career[link]

Hardaway grew up playing basketball in Memphis for Treadwell High School, where he averaged 36.6 points, 10.1 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 3.9 steals, and 2.8 blocks as a senior and was named Parade Magazine National High School player of the year. He finished his high school career with 3,039 points.^[2] Hardaway then committed to Memphis State University (known as the University of Memphis since 1994).

College career[link]

Hardaway had to sit out the 1990–91 season due to being academically ineligible. He wound up making the Dean's List with a 3.4 grade point average as an education major. During his freshman season, Hardaway was robbed at gunpoint and then struck by a stray bullet in the foot, putting his career in jeopardy.^[3]

1991–1992[link]

In the summer of 1992 Hardaway was selected to the 1992 USA Basketball Developmental Team that scrimmaged daily against the 1992 Olympic Team.^[4] Penny was teammates with Chris Webber, Bobby Hurley, Jamal Mashburn, Rodney Rogers, Eric Montross, Grant Hill, and Allan Houston. The USA Basketball Developmental Team was the only team to beat Team USA in 1992.

1992–1993[link]

Hardaway returned for his junior season (1992–93) and bettered his numbers from the previous season. He averaged 22.8 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 6.4 apg, 2.4 spg, and 1.2 bpg. He accumulated two triple doubles (then a rarity in college basketball). He was again named an All-American. He also was a finalist for the Naismith College Player of the Year and the John R. Wooden Award that are annually given the most outstanding player in college basketball.

Penny majored in Education at Memphis State, achieved a 3.4 cumulative GPA, but passed up his senior season to enter the 1993 NBA Draft. In 1994, Memphis State retired #25, Penny's number while playing for the Tigers.^[2] Penny returned to University of Memphis in May 2003 and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in professional studies, 10 years after leaving school early to turn pro.

Hardaway was named #5 on the list of top 100 modern college point guards by collegehoopsnet.com.^[5] Additionally, he was a leading vote getter on ESPN Conference USA Silver Anniversary Team.^[6]

NBA career[link]

Orlando Magic (1993–1999)[link]

Penny was selected by the Golden State Warriors in the first round of the 1993 NBA Draft (third pick overall), but was traded along with three future first-round picks to the Orlando Magic for the rights to first overall pick Chris Webber. The Magic's intent was to draft Webber and pair him with Shaquille O'Neal until Hardaway - whose desire was to play alongside O'Neal - requested a second workout to show why he should be their pick. Two days before the draft, Hardaway participated in a shirts-skins game with several Magic players and local talent and impressed the organization enough to make the draft day trade.^[7]

He started out the season at the shooting guard position while he learned the point guard position from veteran Scott Skiles. By mid-season he took over point guard duties from Skiles. He immediately made an impact on the league, winning the MVP award at the inaugural Schick Rookie Game. Hardaway helped the Magic to their first playoff berth and first fifty-win season. He averaged 16 points, 6.6 assists, 5.4 rebounds per game while his 190 steals ranked 6th in the league. He recorded his first career triple double on April 15 when he registered 14 points, 12 assists, and 11 rebounds against the Boston Celtics. For his efforts he was named to the NBA All-Rookie first team and was the runner-up for Rookie of the Year to Chris Webber.

The 1994–95 NBA season saw Penny take his game to another level. The Magic won a franchise record 57 games while Penny averaged 20.9 points, 7.2 assists, 4.4 rebounds, and 1.7 steals per game. In fact he was the only player to average at least twenty points and five assists and shoot fifty percent on field goals during the regular season. He was named a starter in his first NBA All-Star game and was named All-NBA First Team. The highlight of the playoff run was the second-round defeat of the Chicago Bulls. Along with Shaquille O'Neal, he led his team to the NBA Finals in his second season, where they were swept by the Houston Rockets. Despite the sweep Hardaway averaged 24.5 points, 4.8 rebounds and 8 assists, while shooting 50% from the field in the series.

An injury to star teammate Shaquille O'Neal at the start of the 1995-96 NBA season forced Hardaway to garner more of the scoring load during the first few weeks of the season. He responded by leading the Magic to a 17–5 start. He was named NBA Player of the Month for November by averaging 27.0 points, 6.5 assists, 5.8 rebounds, 2.2 steals, and 1 block per game.^[8] He was named a starter in the NBA All-Star Game for the second consecutive season while leading the Magic to a franchise record 60 wins. For the season he was named to the All-NBA First Team for the second consecutive year while averaging 21.7 points, 7.1 assists and 4.3 rebounds and capturing 166 steals which was good for 5th in the league. He also finished third in MVP voting.^[9] Hardaway was again the only player in the NBA who averaged at least twenty points and five assists and shot fifty percent on field goals during the regular season. The Magic's playoff run ended in the Eastern Conference Finals to the eventual champion (and all-time regular season victories record setter) Chicago Bulls. In the twelve-game playoff run Hardaway averaged 23.3 points, 6 assists, and 4.7 rebounds.

During the summer of 1996, Hardaway played on the 1996 US Olympic Games Basketball Team, which won a gold medal. Penny averaged 9 points, 4.4 assists, 2.8 rebounds, and 1.4 steals in the eight games.^[10] His two biggest contributions were in the quarterfinal game against Brazil where he chipped in 14 points and in the Gold Medal game against Yugoslavia where he scored 17 points.

The departure of O'Neal during the off-season to the Los Angeles Lakers left Hardaway as the lone star on the Magic heading into the 1996–97 NBA season. Hardaway struggled through an injury-filled season but still managed to be named a starter for the third consecutive time in the NBA All-Star game. During the season Hardaway, being the team leader, led a coup to fire then coach Brian Hill with only 33 games left during the season.^[11][12] In 59 regular-season games he averaged 20.5 points, 5.6 assists, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.6 steals per game and was named to the All-NBA Third Team. The Magic managed to make the playoffs with a 45-win season. In the playoffs the Magic fell 0–2 to the Miami Heat in the first round. Hardaway then scored 42 points in game 3 and 41 in Game 4 to force a Game 5 in Miami (becoming the 1st player in NBA history to score 40 points in back to back playoff games when his team scores less than 100 while also being the first player to score 40 points back to back in the playoffs against a Pat Riley-coached team). Hardaway scored 33 points in Game 5 but the Magic fell short. Hardaway finished the playoffs with averages of 31 points, 6 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 2.4 steals, and 1.4 blocks per game. His playoff scoring average finished a close second to Michael Jordan (31.1).

A devastating left knee injury incurred early in the 1997-98 NBA season required surgery and forced him to miss the majority of the season. Despite injury, he was voted to start NBA All-Star Game for fourth straight year, and had six points and three assists in 12 minutes at New York. However, he was criticized^{[by whom?]} for attempting a comeback sooner than expected by playing in the All-Star Game. He played his last game a week after the All-Star game and missed the remainder of the season (Hardaway has since endured another four surgeries on his left knee up to the present that have gradually deteriorated his explosive athletic abilities). In 19 games he averaged 16.4 points, 4 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.5 steals.

Hardaway returned during the lockout-shortened 1999 season and managed to play in all 50 regular-season games to lead the Magic to a share of the best regular-season record in the Eastern Conference. He averaged 15.8 points, 5.7 rebounds and 5.3 assists, and his 111 steals placed him 5th in the league. The Magic then lost a first-round series to the Philadelphia 76ers in which Hardaway averaged 19 points, 5.5 assists, 5 rebounds, and 2.3 steals. It would prove to be his final season in Orlando.

In the Summer of 1999, at the urging of Phoenix Suns' point guard Jason Kidd,^[13] Hardaway was traded to the Phoenix Suns for Danny Manning, Pat Garrity and two future first round-draft picks.^[14]

In 369 regular season games with the Magic, Hardaway averaged 19 points, 6.3 assists, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.9 steals per game. In 45 playoff games he averaged 21.8 points, 6.5 assists, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.9 steals.

Phoenix Suns (1999–2004)[link]

Hardaway was dealt to Phoenix before the start of 1999–2000 NBA Season to team with fellow All-Star guard Jason Kidd to form what was called BackCourt 2000.^[13] Injuries to Hardaway's foot and Kidd's ankle allowed them to play just 45 games together (33–12 with both in lineup). In 60 games Hardaway averaged 16.9 points, 5.8 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and 1.6 steals with a 42–18 record. The Suns finished with a 53–29 record and a 5th seed in the Western Conference Playoffs. The ankle injury to Kidd forced him to miss most of the first-round series against the defending champion San Antonio Spurs. Hardaway stepped up and recorded a 17-point, 13-assist, 12-rebound triple-double in a crucial Game 3 win.^[15] The Suns disposed of the Spurs in four games. The Conference Semi-Finals pitted Hardaway against his former teammate Shaquille O'Neal and the Lakers. The Suns fell short to the eventual champion Lakers in 5 games. Hardaway averaged 20.3 points, 5.7 assists, 4.9 rebounds, 1.6 steals, and 1 block per game during the nine playoff games.

The outlook was optimistic heading into the 2000–01 NBA season but a dreaded microfracture surgery on his left knee forced Hardaway to miss all but four games during the season. In those four games he averaged 9.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 1.5 steals.

Hardaway entered the 2001-02 NBA season healthy and managed to play in 80 regular-season games. Kidd had been dealt to the New Jersey Nets for new point guard Stephon Marbury. Kidd's pass-first style was switched with Marbury's shoot-first style which led to Hardaway and Marbury butting heads. Hardaway managed to average 19.9 points, 5.4 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 1.7 steals during the month of November. The team traded for guard Joe Johnson during the season which relegated Hardaway to the bench for the first time in his career. Despite this he averaged 12 points, 4.4 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and 1.5 steals during the regular season.

Hardaway entered the 2002-03 NBA season coming off the bench. Inconsistent play by young Joe Johnson allowed Hardaway to get back into the starting lineup early in the season. His steady veteran play was a key component to a team that had young stars such as Marbury, Amar'e Stoudemire, and Shawn Marion. Hardaway did miss 24 games with a hand injury in which the team went 10–14 in his absence. He returned in time to record a 10-point, 10-assist, 10-rebound triple-double on April 9 against the Dallas Mavericks. Hardaway finished the regular season averaging 10.6 points, 4.4 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and 1.1 steals. The Suns gave the eventual Champion San Antonio Spurs a scare in the first round before losing in six games. Hardaway averaged 12.7 points, 6 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 2.2 steals in the series.

The 2003-04 NBA season saw Hardaway shuffle in and out of the Suns starting lineup. He was traded to the New York Knicks January 6, 2004 along with Marbury and Cezary Trybanski. He averaged 8.7 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 2.9 assists in 34 games for the Suns. Phoenix used the cap room that was carved out via this trade to sign free-agent point guard Steve Nash to a huge deal starting in 2004-05.

In 236 regular season games with the Suns he averaged 12.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 1.3 steals. In 15 playoff games he averaged 17.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 5.1 assists, and 1.8 steals.

New York Knicks (2004–2006)[link]

Hardaway and Marbury helped lead the Knicks to the 2004 NBA Playoffs. In 42 regular-season games with the Knicks, Hardaway averaged 9.6 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1 steal. In 76 total games during the season he averaged 9.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 2.3 assists. In the playoffs the Knicks lost in the first round to the New Jersey Nets. Hardaway led the Knicks in scoring in two playoff games while averaging 16.5 points, 5.8 assists, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.5 steals in the series.

Hardaway spent most of 2004-05 NBA season fighting various injuries. He averaged 11.9 points, 2.6 assists, and 2.5 rebounds in an 11-game span during the middle part of the season. He finished the season averaging 7.3 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 2 assists in 37 games.

Hardaway played just four games for the Knicks in the 2005-06 NBA season while trying to rehabilitate arthritic knees.^[14] He averaged 2.5 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 2 assists in those games.

In 83 games for the Knicks he averaged 8.2 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.9 assists.

Hardaway was traded back to Orlando, along with Trevor Ariza, for Steve Francis on February 22, 2006, and waived by the Magic on February 27 to save money when his contract expired the following summer.

Miami Heat (2007)[link]

On August 9, 2007, Hardaway was signed by the Miami Heat for the veteran's minimum,^[16] reuniting him with former teammate Shaquille O'Neal.^[14] He wore jersey number 7, marking the first time in his pro career that he didn't wear number 1.^[17] On December 12, 2007, he was waived by the Miami Heat in order to free up a team spot for free agent Luke Jackson. In 16 regular season games, he averaged 3.8 points, 2.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists & 1.19 steals. His best game of the season was on November 17, with 6–6 shooting for 16 points in a win over the New Jersey Nets 91–87 on the road.

Career statistics[link]

Regular Season Totals

Playoff Totals

Appearances on regular season leader board[link]

• Top 10 Games Played: 1994, 1996, 1999
• Top 10 Minutes Played: 1994, 1999
• Top 10 Field Goals: 1996
• Top 10 Free Throws: 1996
• Top 10 Free Throws Attempted: 1996
• Top 15 Points: 1995, 1996
• Top 15 Assists: 1994, 1995, 1996
• Top 10 Steals: 1994, 1996, 1999
• Top 10 Player Efficiency Rating: 1996

Appearances on playoff leader board[link]

• Top 10 Minutes Per Game: 1994(3rd), 1997(4th), 1999, 2000, 2004
• Top 5 Games Played: 1995
• Top 10 Field Goals: 1995, 1996
• Top 10 Free Throws Made: 1995, 1996
• Top 10 3PT Field Goals: 1995
• Top 10 Assists Per Game: 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2004
• Top 10 Points: 1995(5th), 1996
• Top 10 Points Per Game: 1996, 1997(2nd)
• Top 5 Steals: 1995, 1997(3rd), 1999(5th), 2003(4th)

Career awards/accomplishments[link]

• Memphis High School Player of the Year (1989, 1990)
• First team All-American selection by the Basketball Times (1990)
• McDonald's All-American (1990)
• National High School Player of the Year (1990)
• Great Midwest Conference (Conference USA) Player of the Year (1992, 1993)
• College All-American (1993)
• MVP of Rookie Challenge (Then called the Schick Rookie Game) (1994)
• NBA All-Rookie Team (1994)
• NBA Player of the Month (November 1995)
• NBA Finals (1995)
• Gold Medal – USA Men's Basketball (1996 Summer Olympics)
• All-NBA First Team (1995, 1996)
• All-NBA Third Team (1997)
• NBA All-Star Team (1995, 1996, 1997, 1998)
• Six career Triple-Doubles (5 Regular Season & 1 in Playoffs)
• Numerous Nike shoes made for him such as the Penny 1, 2, 3 , and 4 and the Foamposite.

References[link]

External links[link]

• nba.com/historical/playerfile
• Basketball-Reference Player Page
• Database Basketball Player Page
• Penny Hardaway at the Internet Movie Database

v t e 1996 Olympic Champions Men's Basketball team – United States 4 Barkley 5 Hill 6 Hardaway 7 Robinson 8 Pippen 9 Richmond 10 Miller 11 Malone 12 Stockton 13 O'Neal 14 Payton 15 Olajuwon Coach: Wilkens