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NBA History: 25 best sidekicks of all time

ByHans Themistode|
LOS ANGELES, UNITED STATES: Kobe Bryant (L), Shaquille O'Neal (C) and Brian Shaw (R) of the Los Angeles Lakers joke on the bench during the final minutes in game four of the Western Conference Finals against the San Antonio Spurs 27 May 2001 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA. The Lakers beat the Spurs 111-82 to sweep the best-of-seven series 4-0. AFP PHOTO/Mike NELSON (Photo credit should read MIKE NELSON/AFP via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, UNITED STATES: Kobe Bryant (L), Shaquille O'Neal (C) and Brian Shaw (R) of the Los Angeles Lakers joke on the bench during the final minutes in game four of the Western Conference Finals against the San Antonio Spurs 27 May 2001 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA. The Lakers beat the Spurs 111-82 to sweep the best-of-seven series 4-0. AFP PHOTO/Mike NELSON (Photo credit should read MIKE NELSON/AFP via Getty Images)
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Penny Hardaway
Penny Hardaway (Photo credit should read TONY RANZE/AFP/Getty Images)

Ranking the 25 best NBA sidekicks of all time: 14. Penny Hardaway

It didn’t really matter who was Shaquille O’Neal’s teammate, he was always going to go down as one of the best players of all time. In his rookie season, the one and only year without a true star on his team, Shaq balled out. He poured in 23.4 points per game, grabbed 13.9 boards, and sent 3.5 shots into the stands a night.

Shaq was an instant star but his game went to a whole other level once Penny Hardaway took the court. The ridiculously talented point guard was taken with the third overall pick in the 1993 NBA Draft by the Orlando Magic. In his first season, he was already the team’s second-best player. Hardaway dropped a cool 16 points a night to go along with 5.4 rebounds, 6.6 assists, and 2.3 steals per game.

As a result, Shaq’s numbers went through the roof. He averaged 29.3 points and 13.2 boards with his new sidekick. Penny may have been the team’s second-best player, but he was good enough to lead his own ship. In the following two seasons, Penny was selected to back-to-back All-Star squads while averaging over 21 points per game and a shade over seven assists.

The Magic would make a Finals appearance along the way, but we’re dealt with by the Houston Rockets.

Unlike most players on this list who are given a chance to be a team’s first option, we’ll never know how good Penny would’ve been in that role as injuries robbed him of his prime.