It’s been quite the ride for Memphis fans over the past couple of days.
After interviewing with the Orlando Magic on Tuesday, Penny Hardaway has elected to remain the head coach at Memphis. A short hour later, a blockbuster hire was made with Hall of Fame coach Larry Brown joining Hardaway’s staff as an assistant.
Hall of Fame coach Larry Brown has agreed to become an assistant coach at Memphis under Penny Hardaway, sources tell me and @GoodmanHoops.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 30, 2021
Hardaway, a four-time All-Star with the Magic in the 90’s, emerged as a ‘serious candidate’ with his former team after interviewing with them on Sunday. Hardaway took to Instagram Tuesday night to announce he’d be returning to the team.
“One day in the future I would love to coach in the NBA. And wouldn’t it be great if it were the Orlando Magic? Hardaway said. ““But today isn’t that day. Today I’m here with my players, with the fans and the city, working as hard as I can to try to bring us a national championship, because that’s what I set out to do and that’s what I want to do.”
Brown has more than extensive coaching experience, winning a national championship with Kansas in 1988 and an NBA championship with the Detroit Pistons in 2004.
The Hall of Famer last coached collegiately at Southern Methodist and resigned at end of the 2016 season. His most recent coaching stop at Auxilium Torino in Italy in 2018.
In his first assistant role since sitting next to Dean Smith more than 50 years ago, Brown will have an immense role in the team’s on-court production.
