BEGGING FOR ONE LAST SHOT (FOR THE LOVE OF THE GAME)

Penny Hardaway

At 39, Anfernee “Penny” Hardaway still dream of having a graceful exit from the game he loves most and has given him so much, NBA Basketball. He last saw action three years ago with the Miami Heat, submitting averages of 3.8 ppg, 2.2 rpg and 2.2 apg in 16 outings. The 6-7 swingman thinks he still has it and can still contribute to any team even on a limited playing time, according to the Boston Globe. And he wants to do it not for the money, but simply, for the love of the game.

“Why couldn’t I have finished my career in grace? It’s not about money. I saved my money, have all the money that I want. God has blessed me with that. It’s really just the love of the game. I still love the game and I feel like I deserve that chance, but at 39, everybody’s looking at the age. They’re not looking at it as if I can still play.

“I don’t have a lot of miles on my body because my knee was hurt for so long. But I feel like I can play a minimal role on anybody’s team and help out. Role players now are playing 10-12 minutes a night. That’s simple, man. My knowledge, my playmaking ability, I can still knock down an open shot. I watch the game and still see things out there I can do to help teams, but who knows if that will ever happen? I doubt it, but I’ll be ready if the situation did occur.

“I think about how he (Shaq) can still help the Celtics and what they do. Grant Hill is still helping the Suns. Jason Kidd is still helping the Mavericks. You got veteran guys who are still doing a great job. Small minutes, you can do it on a nightly basis easily. It has to be a veteran team, a team that understands basketball for me to play. It can’t just be a young team that’s just trying to play.

“You know I had six knee surgeries, so that took my athleticism away. That was my major component. When you win a championship, it definitely changes and molds you to a different spectrum because you’re a champion. Not winning [in Orlando] and also getting injured, it definitely put a lot of stress on my career and it made teams feel like I wasn’t who I was.

“It’s very frustrating because I still love this game. I still know I can play this game. Nobody wants to pay a veteran the $1 million exception or whatever, but still I would love to be in that situation one more time. That’s the problem with getting back in the league. I never thought it would have been this hard, but that’s just how it goes.”