Tim Hardaway

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Hardaway was born in Chicago, Illinois, and graduated from Carver Area High School in 1985. On August 29, 2022, his jersey was retired by Carver Area. He played college basketball for the UTEP Miners under coach Don Haskins. Hardaway was twice named MVP of El Paso's Sun Bowl Invitational Tournament, in 1987 and 1988. He played on teams that went to the NCAA Tournaments from 1986 to 1989. He won the Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award in 1989. While playing for the Miners, Hardaway developed his crossover dribble move that was called the "UTEP two-step". He was selected as the 14th overall pick of the 1989 NBA draft by the Golden State Warriors. With the Warriors, Hardaway, Mitch Richmond, and Chris Mullin formed a trio known as Run TMC. Hardaway made the NBA All-Star Game three straight years as a Warrior. He suffered a torn ligament in his left knee that kept him out of the entire 1993–94 season. He reached 5,000 points and 2,500 assists faster than any other NBA player except Oscar Robertson. Hardaway played for the Warriors until the middle of 1995–96 season when he was traded to the Miami Heat along with Chris Gatling in exchange for Kevin Willis and Bimbo Coles. Following the trade to Miami, Hardaway started 28 games to finish the season, averaging 17.2 points a game with 10 assists. Miami made the playoffs but were swept in the first round by the 72-win Chicago Bulls. The following season Hardaway finished 4th in voting for the NBA Most Valuable Player Award, was selected to the All-NBA First Team as Miami won a franchise record 61 wins. Hardaway started in 81 games, averaging 20.3 points, 8.6 assists, while placing fourth in the league with 203 three-point baskets. He also played in the 1997 NBA All-Star Game. In the playoffs, Hardaway averaged 26 points a game as the Heat defeated the Orlando Magic in the first round in 5 games, and then defeated the New York Knicks in 7 games in the semifinals. Miami fell to the defending champion Chicago Bulls in the Eastern Conference Finals in 5 games. In the 1997–98 season, Hardaway averaged 18.9 points and 8.3 assists per game, and was selected to play in the 1998 NBA All-Star Game. The Heat won 55 games and won the Atlantic Division, but lost to the Knicks in 5 games in the first round of the playoffs. In the lockout shortened 1998–99 season, he averaged 17.4 points a game with 7.3 assists, and Miami won the Atlant

In Their Own Story

The 1996–97 season marked Hardaway's arrival as Miami's undisputed leader. Starting 81 games, he averaged 20.3 points and 8.6 assists while ranking fourth in the league with 203 three-pointers. The team surged to 61 wins, earning him a selection to the All-NBA First Team and a fourth-place finish in MVP voting. The playoffs brought immediate drama; after dispatching Orlando, Hardaway delivered a legendary performance against New York in Game 7 of the semifinals, pouring in 38 points to keep Miami alive before they eventually succumbed to Chicago in five games during the Eastern Conference Finals. His ability to elevate his game under pressure was evident again in 1998–99 when he led a division-winning squad, though another first-round exit to the Knicks followed. By 2000–01, with Mourning sidelined by kidney disease, Hardaway averaged 14.9 points and 6.3 assists, guiding Miami to the East's third-best record before they were swept by Charlotte in the opening round.

Reader's Guide

Hardaway was a five-time NBA All-Star: three times with the Warriors (1991, 1992, 1993) and twice with the Heat (1997, 1998). He was a five-time All-NBA Team member. He won a gold medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2022. He holds the NBA record for the worst single-game shooting performance in NBA history, going 0-for-17 in a 106–102 win against the Minnesota Timberwolves on December 27, 1991. He shares the record for second most steals in an NBA playoffs game, with 8 in Game 2 of the 1991 Western Conference Semifinals against the Los Angeles Lakers and in Game 4 of the 1992 Western Conference First Round against the Seattle SuperSonics. In 1991–92, Hardaway became the 7th player in NBA history to average 20 points (23.4 ppg) and 10 assists (10.0 apg) in a season, a feat he accomplished again in 1992–93 (21.5 ppg, 10.6 apg). He was the 1989 WAC Player of the Year. He recorded 5,000 points and 2,500 assists, second fastest in NBA history after Oscar Robertson. He held the record for most assists in Miami Heat franchise history with 1,947, until his total was surpassed by Dwyane Wade on January 16, 2010.

Did You Know?

• Hardaway's crossover dribble was called the 'UTEP two-step' by television analysts.
• He was a member of the Run TMC trio with Mitch Richmond and Chris Mullin on the Golden State Warriors.
• Hardaway once went 0-for-17 from the field in a game, the worst single-game shooting performance in NBA history.
• He won a gold medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics with the U.S. men's basketball team.