3 hours ago
6 
It’s nothing new in the NBA—sons following in their father’s footsteps. Bronny James is chasing greatness like LeBron James. Kiyan Anthony is on the rise, just like Melo before him. And Tim Hardaway Jr.? He’s in that same lane too… or is he? Here’s where it gets a little tricky. You’ve probably seen the name “Hardaway” and thought, Wait—is Tim Jr. Penny Hardaway’s son? It’s an easy assumption to make. After all, both guys played for the Knicks—Penny from 2004 to 2006, and Tim Jr. from 2013 to 2015. Same team. Same last name. Same league. It feels like a family connection. But is there actually one? Let’s clear that up.
Back in the ’90s, Penny Hardaway—yep, Anfernee if we’re being official—was a huge deal in the NBA. The man could do it all. He scored, passed, rebounded, and made everything look smooth. He played 14 seasons for 4 teams, and averaged 15.2 points, 5.0 assists, and 4.5 rebounds in 704 regular-season games. A four-time All-Star, two-time All-NBA First Teamer, and one half of that electric Orlando duo with Shaquille O’Neal. At the same time, Tim Hardaway Sr. was out there breaking ankles with that killer crossover. Five-time All-Star, all heart, all hustle. But here’s where people get it twisted: Tim Hardaway Jr. is not Penny’s son. He’s Tim Sr.’s.
The “Junior” tag in his name should’ve made that clear, but even when he was drafted by the Knicks in 2013, confusion still followed him. Tim Jr., who was picked 24th overall, had to clear it up himself. He tweeted, “People, let’s get this straight, my father is not Penny Hardaway. It’s Tim Hardaway.” Plain and simple. Hardaway Jr. has played 12 seasons for 4 teams, including the Mavericks and Knicks. He has averaged 13.7 points and 2.9 rebounds in 813 regular-season games. He is currently on the Pistons roster.
People, let’s get this straight: my father is not Penny Hardaway. It’s Tim Hardaway.
— Tim Hardaway Jr (@T_HardJR) July 17, 2013
Funny enough, this confusion isn’t just a Tim Jr. problem. Penny’s actual son, Jayden Hardaway, went through it too. Growing up in Miami, kids thought he was Tim Hardaway’s son. Jayden remembered, “I was always arguing with people through elementary and middle school, like, ‘Nah, my dad played in the league too. He was nice too, look him up!” And when he finally dug into his dad’s old highlights on YouTube, it hit him—this wasn’t just some random NBA guy. “I just thought he was different,” Jayden said. “People always compare him to the greats. I think he’s one of the greats for sure. He was one of one to me.”
Who is the real father of Tim Hardaway Jr.?
Tim Hardaway Sr. was one of those point guards you just had to watch—because if you blinked, you’d probably miss his signature killer crossover that left defenders frozen. Drafted 14th overall by the Golden State Warriors in 1989, he hit the ground running, making the All-Rookie First Team and teaming up with Mitch Richmond and Chris Mullin to form the legendary “Run TMC” trio. Over a 13-year NBA career, he suited up for the Warriors, Heat, Nuggets, Mavericks, and Pacers—putting up a solid 17.7 points and 8.2 assists per game. He wasn’t just a playmaker—he was a game-changer.
Tim was a 5-time All-Star and earned five All-NBA Team honors, including First Team in 1997 when he led the Miami Heat to a then-franchise-best 61 wins and finished fourth in MVP voting. That same competitive fire helped Team USA snag Olympic gold in Sydney in 2000. After hanging up his sneakers in 2003, he stayed close to the game, coaching with the Pistons and doing TV work. And in 2022, the moment every baller dreams of became reality: Tim was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. “Speechless” was how he described it—and honestly, his résumé does most of the talking.
So while the NBA dream ran in the family, their road to understanding each other wasn’t exactly smooth. “I wanted him to play like I had played,” Sr. admitted, “to take the game seriously like I took the game seriously.” But in trying to mold his son into a mirror of himself, Hardaway Sr. realized he was doing more damage than good. “I had to step back and really understand that I was tearing up my household, tearing him up,” he told ESPN. It took time and some hard reflection, but eventually, the Hall of Famer learned how to just be Dad.
That change in approach turned everything around. “For him to be able to sit back once I got to the age of 15-16… He is taking a deep breath, instead of sitting courtside and yelling and screaming at me, he is sitting all the way back and analyzing the game,” Tim Jr. said. And that shift paid off in more ways than one. In college, Jr. carved out his own name at Michigan, earning four Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors and setting the school record for most threes by a freshman.
Years later, on December 18, 2023, he hit his 1,543rd three-pointer, surpassing his dad’s career total of 1,542. “From a dad perspective, watching him do all this, I love it,” Sr. beamed. These days, they’re not just father and son—they’re two hoopers who respect each other’s journey, even if they’re still debating who would win in a shootout. “Yeah, no question I’d win,” said Sr., to which Jr. grinned and replied, “I would win, of course I would win.”
So, whatever the confusion around the Hardaway name, one thing’s for sure—the bond between Tim Sr. and Jr. is only getting stronger.
The post Are Penny Hardaway and Tim Hardaway Related? appeared first on EssentiallySports.
Bengali (Bangladesh) · 
English (United States) ·