Why Penny Hardaway Chose Nike Over Converse

In 1993 Penny Hardaway turned down a $7 million sneaker deal from Converse to sign with Nike.

Basketball legend Penny Hardaway's career is full of what-ifs. What if the Golden State Warriors kept the rookie point guard instead of trading him to the Orlando Magic? What if Shaquille O'Neal never left for the Los Angeles Lakers? What if Hardaway stayed healthy?

Thanks to the Orlando Magic's official Instagram account, we have another question to keep us up at night. What if Hardaway signed with Converse instead of Nike?

According to the post, Converse offered Hardway a $7 million sneaker deal in 1993. However, the rookie out of Memphis State turned down the offer because he preferred Nike's Swoosh logo over Converse's Star Logo.

While that is a lot of money, it is hard to say Hardaway made the wrong choice. For his first two seasons in the NBA, Hardaway wore an array of Nike basketball shoes, most notably Nike Foamposities and the Air Jordan 9.

Nike announced Hardaway's first signature sneaker - the Nike Air Penny 1 just two weeks before Michael Jordan's return to basketball in 1995. For those readers too young to remember, Hardaway's hoop shoe legacy is legendary.

Not only did the Penny line produce some great performance basketball shoes with technology that still holds up to this day, but they also gave us some of the best commercials ever.

While Hardaway became an All-NBA player, his level of popularity reached new heights thanks to Lil Penny. Nike created a miniature Hardaway puppet who was the opposite of his namesake - brash, bold, and a trash-talker. The puppet was voiced by a young actor and comedian named Chris Rock.

More proof that Hardaway made the right choice in signing with Nike is his shoe's ongoing popularity. Just this week, Nike re-released the Nike Air Penny 1 in the 'Orlando colorway for $170.

After 14 seasons in the NBA, Hardaway could not stay away from basketball for long. The former floor general picked up the clipboard and began coaching high school basketball in Memphis. Now, Hardaway is coaching at his alma mater, the University of Memphis (a Nike-sponsored school). Stay locked into FanNation Kicks for breaking news, updates, and interviews.

Nike Air Penny 1 'Orlando' was re-released this week / Nike

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