{"id":145143,"date":"2018-06-30T04:40:44","date_gmt":"2018-06-30T11:40:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bilcomprd.wpengine.com\/?p=145143"},"modified":"2023-06-12T14:33:15","modified_gmt":"2023-06-12T21:33:15","slug":"how-the-chris-webber-for-penny-hardaway-draft-day-trade-could-have-turned-into-the-most-ridiculous-trade-ever","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ballislife.com\/how-the-chris-webber-for-penny-hardaway-draft-day-trade-could-have-turned-into-the-most-ridiculous-trade-ever\/","title":{"rendered":"Remembering The Chris Webber For Penny Hardaway Draft Day Trade!"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"penny-hardaway-chris-webber-1993-nba-draft\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Due to a tie-breaker with the Indiana Pacers, the Orlando Magic failed to get the final spot in the 1993 NBA playoffs. Orlando fans cried as their magical season ended and the NBA cried because Shaq was the biggest story in the league that year and they would have preferred to see Shaq go for broken backboard #3 in the playoffs than watch Reggie Miller shoot a few more threes.<\/p>\n

The basketball Gods (and maybe David Stern) made it up to everybody by giving the Orlando Magic the No. 1 pick in the upcoming draft, despite only having a single ball in a drum of 66.<\/p>\n

Orlando fans had wet dreams at the thought of Shaq and Chris Webber being Orlando's twin towers but that idea reportedly wasn't so cool with Shaq and Webber. Luckily for them, during Shaq's acting debut in the film Blue Chips<\/strong>, he got to know toothpick-skinny co-star Penny Hardaway pretty well and told the powers that be at the Magic Kingdom to shock the world and pass on the Fab Five star for a Scott Skiles replacement. The Magic invited Penny to a workout that left Magic GM Pat Williams calling Penny the next Magic Johnson and Oscar Robertson.<\/p>\n

On draft night, the Orlando Magic selected Webber with the 1st pick, then traded him 15 minutes later to Golden State for No. 3 pick Penny Hardaway and a few future draft picks (1996, 1998, 2000). Orlando fans were once again crying because Penny wasn't a household name and nobody gave a damn about picks three, five and seven years in the future.<\/p>\n