As a teenager, Hardaway refereed youth sports at the Memphis YMCA and played on its Jr. Olympic basketball team.

[6] While he was sitting out, Hardaway was robbed at gunpoint outside his cousin LaMarcus Golden's house and was shot in his foot by a stray bullet, putting his career in jeopardy.

[9] Hardaway was teammates with Chris Webber, Bobby Hurley, Jamal Mashburn, Rodney Rogers, Eric Montross, Grant Hill, and Allan Houston.

Hardaway achieved a 3.4 cumulative GPA, but passed up his senior season to enter the 1993 NBA Draft.

He returned to the University of Memphis in May 2003 and graduated with a bachelor's degree in professional studies, ten years after leaving school early to turn pro.

He immediately made an impact on the league, winning the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award at the inaugural Schick Rookie Game.

He was named NBA Player of the Month for November by averaging 27.0 points, 6.5 assists, 5.8 rebounds, 2.2 steals, and 1 block per game.

[13] He was named a starter in the NBA All-Star Game for the second consecutive season while leading the Magic to a franchise record 60 wins.

For the season he was named to the All-NBA First Team for the second consecutive year while averaging 21.7 points, 7.1 assists and 4.3 rebounds and capturing 166 steals which was good for 5th in the league.

[14] Hardaway was again the only player in the NBA who averaged at least 20 points and five assists and shot 50 percent on field goals during the regular season.

The Magic's playoff run ended in the Eastern Conference Finals to the eventual champion Chicago Bulls.

The departure of O'Neal during the off-season to the Los Angeles Lakers left Hardaway as the lone star on the Magic heading into the 1996–97 NBA season.

Hardaway struggled through an injury-filled season but still managed to be named a starter for the third consecutive time in the NBA All-Star game.

Despite injury, he was voted to start the NBA All-Star Game for the fourth straight year, and had six points and three assists in 12 minutes at New York.

Hardaway landed in Phoenix via a sign-and-trade with Orlando before the start of 1999–2000 NBA season to team with fellow All-Star guard Jason Kidd, forming what the Suns labeled BackCourt 2000.

The ankle injury to Kidd forced him to miss most of the first-round series against the defending champion San Antonio Spurs.

Jason Kidd and Chris Dudley had been traded to the New Jersey Nets for new point guard Stephon Marbury, Johnny Newman, and Soumaila Samake.

The team traded for guard Joe Johnson during the season which relegated Hardaway to the bench for the first time in his career.

Inconsistent play by Joe Johnson allowed Hardaway to return to the starting lineup early in the season.

His steady veteran play was a key component to a team that had young stars such as Marbury, Amar'e Stoudemire, and Shawn Marion.

The Suns gave the eventual champion San Antonio Spurs a scare in the first round before losing in six games.

He was traded to the New York Knicks January 6, 2004, along with Marbury and backup center Cezary Trybański in exchange for Howard Eisley, Maciej Lampe, Charlie Ward, and Antonio McDyess.

Phoenix used the cap room that was carved out via this trade to sign free-agent point guard Steve Nash to a huge deal starting in 2004–05.

Hardaway led the Knicks in scoring in two playoff games while averaging 16.5 points, 5.8 assists, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.5 steals in the series.

[21][22] Hardaway was hired as head coach by his alma mater, the Memphis Tigers, on March 19, 2018,[23] replacing Tubby Smith.

[24] In 2023, Hardaway led Memphis to an American Athletic Conference championship and a berth in the 2023 NCAA Tournament, getting eliminated in controversial fashion to FAU.

In 2011, Hardaway announced plans for a permanent $20 million multi-sports facility named FastBreak Courts Sportsplex in Cordova.

The sporting complex would support volleyball, cheerleading and wrestling, with seven basketball courts, a 2,000-seat arena, rehabilitation clinic and classrooms.

It was expected to boost the Memphis-area economy by generating over $14.5 million in annual visitor spending and directly supporting 236 local jobs.

[27] In 2012, Hardaway was announced to be part of an ownership group including Peyton Manning and Justin Timberlake that was to purchase a minority stake in the Memphis Grizzlies.