'He was nasty' - Penny Hardaway says Tim Hardaway got him bad early on in his career

The NBA landscape that Anfernee Penny Hardaway arrived in was loaded with prolific guards. Although Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan had already stepped away from the game to pursue a career in professional baseball, plenty of other players came up to try and fill the massive shoes MJ left behind.

From Latrell Sprewell and John Stockton to Gary Payton and Mitch Richmond, there was a bevy of standout guards and wingmen who Penny had to battle nightly. However, one player, Anfernee said, gave him fits early on: the Golden State Warriors ace Tim Hardaway.

"Tim Bug" was nasty

Penny, a 6'7" point guard, was ready to hit the ground running in his rookie season in the pros. He spent two seasons at Memphis State (now known as the University of Memphis) and had a spectacular final season there, averaging 22.8 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 6.4 assists per game. Picked third overall before the Orlando Magic acquired Anfernee in a draft-day trade involving first-overall pick Chris Webber, many had high expectations of the versatile guard.

However, Hardaway soon learned that the NBA is a different animal where anyone can get burned on any night, even in the preseason. When asked by "Knuckleheads" hosts Darius Miles and Quentin Richardson who was the first player to bust him in the Association, Penny thought about it for a little while before answering.

"Tim Hardaway. I think we played them in preseason, and you know it might have been Tim, if I'm thinking correctly, because he was nasty," the four-time All-Star answered. "Tim was hard, man. Hard-nosed."

Indeed, Tim was as tough as they came in the NBA. At only 6'0" and weighing around 175 pounds, Hardaway was not the biggest or strongest player on the court. But what he lacked in size, the Chicago native made up for with sheer will and a lightning-quick crossover known as the "UTEP two-step," which stumped the savviest defenders in the league.

Tim let you know about it, too

A five-time All-Star and member of the All-NBA Team, Hardaway was one of the league's elite backcourt players of the 1990s and is best remembered for being a key cog of the famed "Run TMC" teams of the Warriors that took the NBA by storm. After a stellar NCAA career at Texas-El Paso, he soon made it to the pros and combined with Chris Mullin and Mitch Richmond to form one of the league's most dynamic trios.

In addition, Tim knew how good he was and never hesitated to let his defenders know about it with a constant stream of trash talk.

"I know he was talking trash too, ain't he?" Q quipped.

"Oh, you know he ain't gonna stop talking. He gonna be getting it in and getting it done, for sure," Penny responded.

Tim never won an NBA title, as he was unfortunate enough to play in the era dominated by "Air Jordan." However, Hardaway is best remembered as one tough son-of-a-gun who was never afraid to mix it up with anyone in the league, regardless of size or reputation.