50 Greatest NBA/ABA Players Not In the Hall Of Fame
By Phil Watson
Copyright 1993 NBAE (Photo by Brad Mangin/NBAE via Getty Images)
The Golden State Warriors selected Tim Hardaway out of UTEP with the 14th overall pick in the 1989 NBA Draft and he almost immediately became one of the NBA’s most dynamic scorers and playmakers.
Hardaway earned two All-NBA nods with the Warriors, despite missing the entire 1993-94 season because of a knee injury.
In February 1996, the Warriors sent Hardaway and Chris Gatling to the Miami Heat for Bimbo Coles and Kevin Willis in a trade they would almost immediately regret.
Hardaway was a three-time All-NBA selection in Miami and finished fourth in the MVP voting in 1996-97.
But in August 2001, Hardaway was traded to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for a second-round pick in 2004 and a trade exception.
He didn’t last a full season in Dallas, as he was dealt in February 2002 along with Juwan Howard, Donnell Harvey, cash and a first-round pick in 2002 to the Denver Nuggets for Raef LaFrentz, Nick Van Exel, Tariq Abdul-Wahad and Avery Johnson.
Denver waived Hardaway in June 2002 and he appeared to be done until he signed with the Indiana Pacers in March 2003, finishing out the season before retiring.
In 13 seasons, Hardaway averaged 17.7 points, 8.2 assists, 3.3 rebounds and 1.6 steals in 35.3 minutes per game, shooting .431/.355/.782.
Hardaway is 29th in NBA history with 1,542 3-pointers and 19th with 4,345 attempts from long range. His 7,095 assists are 16th-most in NBA history, while his assists per game average ranks 13th.