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The "special edition"
cover of Fastbreak.
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So why did he choose Phoenix, where temperatures have hovered around 105 of late, a reporter jokingly asked following Thursday night's press conference.
"Until I visited Phoenix, I was still sold on Orlando," he said, noting that it had nothing to do with Arizona's famous dry heat. "But I wanted to go out on the market and see what I was really worth, and I came here and they showed me what I was worth and how much they really loved me and wanted me."
Hoping to impress upon Penny just how much love the Suns had for him, General Manager Bryan Colangelo enlisted several members of the club's front office staff, who were all given "top secret" assignments to assist in delivering the message.
Suns Productions, the multi-talented crew behind the team's pre-game television program, Suns Gametime, was asked to create a special video focusing on the storied history and reputation of the organization. The 10-minute presentation, which was hosted by Suns alum and community relations representative John Shumate, also included some carefully edited footage of Jason Kidd driving up court and lobbing the alley oop to... you guessed it, a dunking Hardaway, complete with play-by-play from the Voice of the Suns Al McCoy.
The Suns' publishing department was also asked to join in on the fun, and created a complete issue of the team's in-house magazine, Fastbreak. The 24-page publication, boasting a computer-enhanced cover of Hardaway and Kidd with the headline "Backcourt 2000," was filled with information about the city of Phoenix, including listings of the top golf courses, restaurants and shopping attractions. There was also an article on past free agents who've chosen Phoenix, a profile on Kidd and his knack for assists, a column about Hardaway written by coach Danny Ainge, and a fictional feature looking back on the '99-00 season as if it had already taken place, with Penny on the Suns' roster, of course. Oh yes, and throughout the issue there were numerous photos of the All-Star guard, blended together with photos of former Sun Cedric Ceballos, to give Hardaway an idea of what he'd look like in a purple and orange No. 1 jersey.
The video and magazine were then shipped to Hardaway at his Memphis home, and it wasn't long before he was on the phone with the Suns.
"When I saw the magazine I jumped," Hardaway said with a laugh. "I was like 'Whoa, how'd they do this?' I thought it was very creative and it was funny, very funny."
The laughs and the creative recruiting didn't stop there.
In late July, with the opening of the free agent signing period quickly approaching, the Suns' brass fueled up their new luxurious charter plane, picked up Hardaway in Memphis, and flew him and Kidd to California for a round of golf. And when he traveled to Phoenix a few days later, they presented him with a shiny, new set of golf clubs in a Suns golf bag with his name embroidered on the side.
During his visit in the Valley, Penny was also given a tour of the America West Arena, where his name was placed above a cubicle in the Suns' locker room, and Bank One Ballpark, where another video of himself and Kidd was playing over and over on the Jumbotron in centerfield.
"It was an unbelievable effort," said Colangelo of all his help in the recruiting process. "You can't do it without the right people in place to take jobs like that over."
Although he didn't edit any video, write any stories or embroider any golf bags, the one person who may have made the biggest difference was Kidd, who Ainge said has earned the title of assistant general manager.
"He was huge," said Hardaway of Kidd. "I mean, he was the guy who was calling me all the time. I talked to him maybe twice a week. Even when he was in Puerto Rico, he was calling me.
"He never pressured me to make a decision with Phoenix. He just said that they would love to have me and he would love to play with me. So he did a great job."
Though you might be surprised to hear it, Hardaway insists that the Suns' elaborate courting process made a big impact on him and made his decision to leave Orlando and head for Phoenix a whole lot easier.
"That's something that I really wanted," he explained. "I wasn't feeling wanted from anyone. A lot of people were saying that I was washed up. I didn't have any more basketball left. That I should just take whatever and just play with the Magic and don't worry about it. I was feeling very lonely and very down. And when the Phoenix Suns came in and showed me all this energy, it kind of pepped me up a little bit, and I said, 'Hey, I think I'm ready again.' Given the magazine and given the golf bag and the golf clubs and all that stuff, it really hit me in the heart and I couldn't turn it down."
