Tim Hardaway—A Never-Quit Attitude

Tim Hardaway: My very first game, we playing against the Utah Jazz, playing against John Stockton. I took the ball out of his hand one time. My offense was rolling and we won the game. That's when I knew I belonged. That's when I knew.

You know, I grew up in Chicago. Gangs were trying to recruit you every day, going to school, coming back home from school. It was very, very tough growing up. My dad is a playground legend. I used to sit and watch my dad play.

He was six-three. He was taking people that was six-seven, six-eight. They couldn't outthink him, be as physical as he was. That's where my confidence and my grit came from and my my passion.

My dad never coached me. That really helped me to develop the game because I never was pressured. Summer league in Chicago. That's what everyone lived for because you get everybody home from college, you know, everybody home from the NBA.

So, it's a mixture of people playing. You playing against the best.They said people was better than me. They said I was too small. They say I didn't have the drive. They say I didn't have the confidence. That can hurt you or that can make you prove stuff.

My parents always instilled in me that you got to go out and prove yourself every day. Make people wrong about you every day. From high school all the way up to the NBA. My first two or three years, my mom was always there. At the draft, my mom, she was just ecstatic. My dad was ecstatic, too. He was like, go out there and just keep proving yourself and have fun. It was just remarkable. At the press conference, Chris Mullin was like, “What you want to do?”

I was like, “Can we go play some basketball?” He went to go open up a gym. We played literally, we play for like three, three and a half hours. That whole next year you could tell that we was ready.

Announcer: Hardaway backs up. What a move! Oh, did he explode and go! That was brilliant!

Tim: Just to be in the Hall of Fame where they put a stamp on everything and you’re being enshrined for the rest of your life.

Announcer: Here we go. Hardaway. And it is... Good!! Unbelievable!

Tim: Everything I went through, having a mom and my dad to instill confidence in me and you know, all those life challenges. That's why I'm here today.