Penny believes Magic should retire the jersey number in honor of him and T-Mac: 'We need to do it on the same night because that's my dog'

The jersey number "1" holds special significance in the history of the Orlando Magic franchise. This is because two of the NBA's most dynamic and exciting players—Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway and Tracy "T-Mac" McGrady—wore it on separate occasions.

When asked if the Magic should follow the retirement of Shaquille O'Neal's jersey with his own, Penny answered that the franchise shouldn't just retire his number but also McGrady's. He believes they deserve to be recognized for their spectacular feats while donning the Magic jersey.

Both number "1s" should be up there

In February 2024, the Magic retired Shaq's number "32" jersey, marking the first time in the franchise's history that a player had their number retired. Draymond Green mentioned this on his podcast, implying that Penny's number should also be in the rafters. However, the 6'7" guard argued that McGrady's number "1" should also be retired, saying that T-Mac was a major part of the team's success during his time there.

"You know what was so crazy is T-Mac came behind me, and he wore number one, too. So I think both number ones, McGrady and Hardaway, need to be up in there," Penny asserted on "The Draymond Green Show."

Hardaway was a massive reason for Orlando's tremendous success in the 1990s. With Shaq manning the middle, the Magic had a dynamic duo that steered them to the NBA Finals in only their sixth season in the Association. Penny had a phenomenal run in his six seasons with the Magic, getting named an All-Star four times and a member of the All-NBA Team thrice.

T-Mac, though, arrived in Orlando in 2000, seeking to forge his own path after playing in the shadow of his cousin, Vince Carter, in Toronto. Finally blessed with the opportunity and the playing time, the 6'8" wingman balled out, averaging 26.8 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 1.5 steals, and 1.5 blocks per game in his first season in Orlando. He also earned All-Star and All-NBA honors and won the Most Improved Player award.

"Mac is my dog, but I think that number one needs to go down—Hardaway and Mac—and we need to do it on the same night because that's my dog. I don't need one of my own," Penny continued.

Nobody knew how good T-Mac was

Although he showed flashes of hoop brilliance in Toronto, McGrady knew he wouldn't be able to truly realize his potential if he stayed with the Raptors, where VC was clearly the main man. So, in the summer of 2000, T-Mac signed a seven-year deal with the Magic that would pay him close to $93 million.

McGrady had been waiting for this opportunity his entire career—and when it finally came, he was ready to seize it.

"What I did in Orlando, they didn't know. No one knew that; no one knew that, right? I showed that I was athletic, I showed I was skilled, but that sh*t that was in Orlando was on a whole other level, bro," T-Mac said on "The Pivot" podcast.

While T-Mac couldn't lead the Magic beyond the first round of the playoffs, he cemented his place as one of the league's elite — a player capable of shouldering a franchise and pushing it as far as his talent would allow.