Penny Hardaway, a former NBA guard and current Memphis Tigers head coach, recently interviewed for the open head coaching position with the Orlando Magic, and according to rumors, he excelled and was considered a genuine candidate. However, he told Stadium’s Jeff Goodman on Tuesday that he will be staying in Memphis:
He also posted a video on Instagram indicating that he was remaining in Memphis.
“One day, in the future, I’d love to coach in the NBA,” Hardaway said. “And wouldn’t that be great to work for the Orlando Magic? But today isn’t that day. Today I’m here with my players, the fans, the city working as hard as I can to bring us a national championship. That’s what I set out to do and that’s what I want to do.”
Hardaway would have been an intriguing addition to the Orlando Magic’s roster. He’s not only a franchise legend, but he’s also a coach who knows how to work with young players and connect with the next generation. Hardaway could have potentially come in and played a key part in guiding an Orlando team through a rebuild after Steve Clifford was dismissed and Nikola Vucevic was moved last year.
By his own admission, this isn’t going to be the end of Hardaway flirting with the NBA. At 49 years old, he’s still young in the coaching game. He could make the leap after several more years at Memphis and still enter the NBA with several years of coaching left in him.
