Hardaway played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Golden State Warriors, Miami Heat, Dallas Mavericks, Denver Nuggets and Indiana Pacers.
Hardaway won a gold medal with the United States national basketball team at the 2000 Summer Olympics.
He won the Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award in 1989 as the best college player in the nation six feet (1.83 m) tall or under.
As part of the Warriors' attack, Hardaway was responsible for leading Run TMC's fast break, displaying his excellent passing and one-on-one skills to complement Richmond's slashing and Mullin's shooting.
Hardaway averaged a career-high 23.4 points a game in the 1991–92 season, as the Warriors fell in the first round of the playoffs to the Seattle SuperSonics.
As a Warrior, Hardaway made the NBA All-Star Game three straight years, and a knee injury kept him out of the entire 1993–94 season.
Hardaway played for the Warriors until the middle of 1995–96 season when he was traded to the Miami Heat along with Chris Gatling in exchange for Kevin Willis and Bimbo Coles.
Hardaway started in 81 games, averaging 20.3 points, 8.6 assists, while placing fourth in the league with 203 three-point baskets.
Hardaway's production slipped in the 1999–2000 season, with Alonzo Mourning and Jamal Mashburn carrying more of the offensive load.
Following the 2000–01 season, and with his skills declining with age, Hardaway was traded to the Dallas Mavericks on August 22, 2001, for a second-round draft pick.
In the middle of the season, he was traded to the Denver Nuggets in exchange for point guard Nick Van Exel.
While playing for the Nuggets, Hardaway was suspended for two games and fined $10,000 by the league when he threw a television monitor onto the court.
[3] On March 27, 2003, Hardaway signed a contract with the Indiana Pacers, and in his first game registered a season-high 14 points and seven assists against the Chicago Bulls.
[5] He held the record for most assists in Miami Heat franchise history with 1,947,[5] until his total was surpassed by Dwyane Wade on January 16, 2010.
On April 2, 2022, Hardaway was announced as one of thirteen members to be inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame for the Class of 2022 later this year.
[7] Hardaway was originally selected to play for "Dream Team II" in the 1994 FIBA World Championship but was replaced after suffering a torn knee ligament.
When asked by the radio show host whether he realized that his remarks were homophobic, Hardaway responded by saying: "Well, you know I hate gay people, so I let it be known.
"[22] In an interview on February 11, 2010, on Hardcore Sports Radio on Sirius, Hardaway spoke about his recent work with The Trevor Project and The YES Institute, which he had done to educate himself on LGBT issues.