Penny recalls the story of Stuart Scott driving him to the Magic's arena for his pre-draft workout: 'Let's stop by at McDonald's first'

Heading to the 1993 NBA Draft, Penny Hardaway was a lock to be drafted in the top three. Among the teams drafting in that position, he only worked out with the Golden State Warriors, who had the third pick, and the Orlando Magic, who had the No.1 overall selection.

Anfernee said he worked out with the Warriors first and then went to Florida to do the same with the Magic. When he arrived in Orlando, Penny said there was no welcoming committee to take him to the Magic's facility. Fortunately, Penny met a great soul who ended up showing him around.

"I went to Orlando, get to the airport, and nobody was there to pick me up," said Hardaway. "I see this news dude, and he interviewed me about coming in, and then I was like, 'Bro, I ain't got no ride.' He said, 'You want me to take you to the arena?' and I said, 'Yeah, but let's stop by McDonald's first'. We go in there, eat at McDonalds, take me and drop me off. It's Stuart Scott, bro, the late Stuart Scott that was with ESPN."

A one-of-a-kind coincidence

Before he made it big, one of Stuart Scott's first gigs was as a sports news reporter and sports anchor at an NBC affiliate called WESH out in Orlando. That's when he met Hardaway, and that encounter turned out to be career-changing for both men.

Later that year, Scott caught the eye of an ESPN exec and was hired by the Network, as Stuart would become a staple at NBA on ESPN. Meanwhile, Penny proceeded to the Orlando practice facility that day and went on to impress the Magic.

"First workout was about agility stuff, like vertical leap, all the little sprints, and all that stuff. I broke all the records that they had and all that sh** 'cuz everything I did, I was gon' to try to just do it to the max, to let these dudes know that I'm hungry. I wanted to be in Orlando. I never worked out for Philly, and man, I killed it," he added.

Penny's star shone bright in Orlando

On draft night, Orlando selected Chris Webber as the No.1 overall pick, while Philadelphia went on to draft 7'6'' Shawn Bradley as their second choice. The Golden State Warriors then picked Hardaway at No.3 and ended up trading Anfernee to Orlando, as the teams had previously agreed upon.

The Memphis product joined Shaquille O'Neal, and in Penny's rookie season, the Magic made their first-ever playoff appearance in the 1994 postseason. One season later, Orlando won 57 regular-season games and made it all the way to the 1995 NBA Finals, where they were swept by the Houston Rockets.

Anfernee would go on to earn four straight All-Star game appearances from 1995 to 1998. Penny was named to three consecutive All-NBA teams, including back-to-back first-team selections in 1995 and 1996, before knee injuries began to slow him down in 1997.