Magic Legend Penny Hardaway Faces ‘Death Sentence’ Pressure After Spending $2.6M to Build NCAA Roster

Orlando Magic icon Penny Hardaway has taken an unprecedented financial step as the Memphis Tigers head coach. In a very intense college athletics landscape, he’s taken extra measures to secure his team’s competitiveness. The NBA legend, who earned over $120 million in his playing career, revealed that he personally contributed $2.6 million of his own money into the program’s Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) revenue-sharing pool. The 55-year-old former NBA All-Star opened up about his self-funded roster overhaul during American Athletic Conference (AAC) Media Day in Tampa.