“He lied to all the 29 teams” Tim Hardaway reveals how Don Nelson conned the league to draft him as the 14th pick
Follow Us
Tim Hardaway
During his tribute to his coaches, Tim Hardaway thanked his former Golden State Warriors coach Don Nelson for lying to all the NBA teams that he had injured his knee beyond repair, a move that would allow Tim to play for the warriors and no team would bid for him due to his injuries. This seemed to have paid off as he was drafted to the Warriors as the 14th overall pick.
Former NBA stars Manu Ginobili, Tim Hardaway, Swin Cash, and Lindsay Whalen led the class of 2022 into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on Saturday night. Coaches George Karl, Bob Huggins, and Marianne Stanley, as well as international selection Radivoj Korac, were among those inducted. Hardaway was a five-time All-Star and five-time All-NBA pick as a point guard in the 1990s. On Saturday, Hardaway was the first to speak, describing how significant it was for him to make it all the way from the south side of Chicago to the Hall of Fame.
Also Read: “WTF I’m not a fan” Mark Cuban disses Adam Silver, NBA’s rumored plan for in-season tournament
Tim Hardaway’s illustrious career
When the Warriors selected Tim Hardaway out of the University of Texas at El Paso in 1989, one of his primary responsibilities was to guard Kevin Johnson. one of the first concerns posed of Hardaway when he was picked was if he could stop KJ. Chris Mullin and Mitch Richmond were his biggest rivals on the Warriors. From 1990 until 1994, he was the team’s top player. Although he scored somewhat less than Mullin, Hardaway was the team’s main playmaker in the fastbreak scheme.
Alonzo Mourning was the team leader when Tim arrived in Miami, averaging approximately 20 points and 10 rebounds while being one of the league’s finest shot blocks and all-around defensive stoppers. However, Mourning was injured throughout the 1997-98 and 2000-01 seasons, and Hardaway took over as the team’s leader. Hardaway’s reputation may have been better if he hadn’t missed so many postseason games due to injury, since he only made the conference finals once, with the Heat in 1997, perhaps his greatest season.
Jordan’s Bulls defeated the Heat in five games. Hardaway led the squad with 25 points and seven assists in the lone victory. Hardaway’s decline began after 1998, when his scoring and assist totals began to fall. He was able to start for the Heat for three more years. The next season, he was a key contributor off the Mavericks’ bench and started for the Nuggets. He only played 10 games with the Pacers the following season before retiring.
Tim Hardaway’s Speech
Tim Hardaway stressed his second career chapter as a starting point for his route to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame ahead of Saturday night’s induction into the Springfield, Massachusetts, shrine. “Thank you, Micky Arison, the Heat organisation, Pat Riley, for believing me to take the franchise to the next level when everybody felt I was done,” Hardaway said during his enshrinement address.
During his six seasons with the Heat, the tough 6-foot point guard helped lead the team to six playoff appearances, following only two in the franchise’s first seven seasons. During his remarks, Hardaway notably thanked former Heat teammates Alonzo Mourning and Keith Askins, who were both in attendance and are now in the Heat front office.
“He was our driving force,” Mourning recalled in Hardaway’s introduction video, “and we followed his example, especially when it came to winning. He was one of the best point guards in the history of the game,” Riley, who was not in attendance, said during his video interview. Hardaway was the first member of the Hall’s Class of 2022 to speak, beginning his remarks, “made it all the way to Springfield, Massachusetts, fantastic,” and concluding his 10-minute acceptance speech, “This is larger than Tim Hardaway.” This is for Chicago’s South Side.”
Along the way, Hardaway praised his parents, wife, and children, including Dallas Mavericks guard Tim Hardaway Jr. During his tribute to his coaches, he remarked of former Golden State Warriors coach Don Nelson, “He lied to every team and claimed my knee was shot, so I would fall to the Warriors with the 14th selection, and he chose me.” Excellent work, Nellie. “I admired you.”
Also Read: “You’re excluding Magic and Kareem” Chris Broussard questions Gilbert Arenas’ top 10 all-time list
Do follow us on Google News | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter
Stay Updated!
FS Desk
(8023 Articles Published)