Orlando is my history.

Penny Hardaway

Categorized in : History Orlando

Injuries made people lose confidence in me, but I never lost confidence in myself.

myself me confidence people

I want to see the Memphis flags waving on the cars. I want to see the T-shirts going again, the hats going again like the old school days, and that's what we want to take it back to.

back see school-days school

As an athlete, the body can fail you. I know. The mind and your education will be there to keep carrying you.

you body mind education

I wasn't able to explode, jump, run - not even walk without pain being in the back of my leg. Every time I bent my leg, even in a walking motion, I was wondering what was wrong with me. But I stuck with it.

walk me pain time

That's my job as a veteran in the league - to help make the young guys better.

help better job young

I want to leave a mark on society.

leave mark society want

My brain never stops thinking about basketball, and even when I'm asleep, I'm thinking about basketball. I love it; I love the Xs and Os and the preparation of it.

preparation brain love thinking

A lot of the kids gave a lot of positive feedback about if I ever became a coach, they would love to play in our program. And I was very confident that we would be able to get the top-tier players to come in.

confident feedback positive love

I like to speed teams up. I don't like them to get in their rhythm.

get like rhythm speed

I don't think about the money side. I just think about how I can create a culture of winning.

think money winning culture

I believe in giving back.

back i-believe giving believe

The thing I really want to do is make the All-Star team and have an All-Star season. If I do that, then I know my team is going to be winning.

know team winning want

Of course you want people to notice you're back, and you're playing well just to be respected. Because I was an All-Star, a first-team All-NBA guy. But I don't need the media putting a spotlight on me.

me you media people

You wanted to compete against Michael Jordan, because they were the best. You wanted to beat them. Never once in my mind, I went, 'I would love to play with him.' I was always like, 'Man, we've got to beat them.'

best you man love

I'm so appreciative of Orlando. I am Orlando. Orlando made me. So when people link my name, they link my name to Orlando and nowhere else. I'll always be indebted to Orlando for that and grateful at the same time.

i-am me grateful time

It's just hard to watch isolation basketball.

just isolation hard basketball

Jerry Sloan was a guy that I always respected, but I thought he was mean. Like, he was a guy that was just no nonsense. When coach and I got closer during the Olympics, I said, 'Coach, I always just thought you were this mean guy, but it was really nice to get to know you and your family.'

thought you family nice

I want to contribute in any fashion to a great team.

great fashion team want

I'm so thankful and blessed for the Heat organization.

heat organization blessed thankful

It's fun coming back home, playing against the Grizzlies and to have the opportunity to come back and see my family.

family home opportunity fun