Orlando Magic: What If Shaq and a Healthy Penny Hardaway Had Stayed Together?

Shaquille O'Neal has teamed up with a good number of Hall of Famers or possible future Hall of Famers throughout his NBA career.

He played with Kobe Bryant, Karl Malone and Gary Payton in Los Angeles, Dwyane Wade and Alonzo Mourning in Miami and Steve Nash and Amar'e Stoudemire in Phoenix.

Then there was LeBron James in Cleveland and now Boston's "Big Four" of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo.

Another player you could have added to the list is a guy by the name of Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway, O'Neal's teammate during his days with the Orlando Magic. If you followed the NBA in the 1990s, then this man doesn't need any introduction.

Everybody knew Penny back then.

He had his own Nike kicks, a puppet named "Lil' Penny" and was one of the league's most exciting stars. Tons of fans across the country sported his pinstriped No. 1 Orlando jersey.

Because of his height (6'7"), which is tall for a point guard, Hardaway drew comparisons to the greatest point guard in NBA history, Lakers legend Magic Johnson. He wasn't on Magic's level and never would've been if he had stayed injury-free, but he was certainly something special.    

The Shaq-Penny dynamic duo played three seasons together in Orlando, leading the Magic to their first postseason berth in 1994 and then an NBA Finals appearance the following year as they were swept by Hakeem Olajuwon's Houston Rockets.   

O'Neal then chose to sign with the Lakers as a free agent in 1996. The All-Star center would eventually team with Kobe to steer the proud franchise to three consecutive titles in the early 2000s.

O'Neal later won another title in Miami and is considered today as one of the top 10 greatest players in NBA history and one of the most dominant big men the game of basketball has ever known.    

Meanwhile, Hardaway lasted three more seasons in Orlando. He would suffer a knee injury during the 1997-98 season, causing him to miss a great deal of time on the court. Hardaway later returned, but was never the same explosive player that he once was.

Hardaway was traded to Phoenix in 1999 and ended up falling from a larger than life superstar, who was a four-time All-Star and a member of Dream Team II, to a highly-paid and often-injured role player.

But what if Shaq had re-signed with the Magic and didn't decide to take his talents to Hollywood?

And imagine if Penny had remained with the team as well and never suffered any career-changing injuries?

How many titles would they have won? 

Would they have become the next Kareem and Magic, an unstoppable center-point guard combo who could carry a team to a dynasty?  

O'Neal and Hardaway could've led Orlando to a dynasty or maybe a title or two, but it would have taken a few years to do so. There's just no way they could've knocked off the Chicago Bulls from 1996 to 1998.    

Sure, the Magic defeated the Bulls in the 1995 playoffs, but that's only because Michael Jordan was rusty following his first retirement and the team had not yet acquired the greatest rebounder of all time in Dennis Rodman.  

Depending on what type of role players were surrounding O'Neal and Hardaway, the Magic may have had a good chance to beat Tim Duncan and David Robinson's San Antonio Spurs for a championship in 1999.   

Maybe Hall of Fame coach Phil Jackson heads to Orlando, elevating the Magic to a three-peat from 2000-2002 instead of the Shaq-less Lakers.  

Who knows?

It's unclear what would have happened if Shaq and a healthy Penny had stuck around in Orlando, but it's surely something to think about. 

Kate Walsh Autumn Reeser Camilla Belle Blu Cantrell Jaime King