He played college basketball for the Michigan Wolverines and declared for the NBA draft after his junior season for the national runner-up 2012–13 team.

As a freshman during the 2010–11 NCAA Division I men's basketball season, he earned four Big Ten Conference Freshman of the Week awards, including three in the final four weeks during which he averaged over 20 points a game to help the 2010–11 team to climb up to fourth in the 2010–11 Big Ten Conference men's basketball season standings.

[7] In the summer before his senior season, he attended Beilein's Elite Camp in Ann Arbor, Michigan, receiving an offer that he accepted.

[10] Hardaway has played summer Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) basketball for both the South Florida Heat[11] and Chicago's Mac Irvin Fire, where he teamed with 7-foot (2.13 m) Meyers Leonard and McDonald's All-American Jereme Richmond.

[12] Sources: Hardaway joined the team that had just lost Manny Harris who had declared for the 2010 NBA draft,[13] and he began his season in the starting lineup for the 2010–11 Wolverines on November 13 against South Carolina Upstate.

[32] In the semi-finals of the 2011 Big Ten tournament against Ohio State, he set the Michigan freshman single-season three-point shots made record of 74.

[33] For the season, Hardaway led the team in three-point shots made per game and free throw percentage (among qualifying players).

[36] The twelve selected players competed as Team USA in the 2011 FIBA U19 World Championships in Latvia from June 30 to July 10, 2011.

[38][39] As a sophomore, he was a preseason top 50 watchlist selection for the John R. Wooden Award and the Naismith College Player of the Year.

[49] On December 29, he opened the 2011–12 Big Ten Conference men's basketball season with 26 points against Penn State, despite making only 1 of 7 three-point shots.

The praise came from a variety of leading media outlets such as FOX Sports,[61] ESPN color commentator Dick Vitale,[62] ESPN journalists such as Miles Simon,[63] Bleacher Report columnist Zach Dirlam (who included backcourt depth provided by Nik Stauskas),[64] as well as much local press.

[72] In the subsequent game on January 3, he returned to the lineup for the 2012–13 Big Ten Conference men's basketball season-opener against Northwestern with 21 points and four assists in a 94–66 victory.

[76] Hardaway earned a second Big Ten Player of the Week Award following a 21-points performance on 7-for-8 shooting (4-for-5 three-point shot) with 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks.

[79] On February 5, Hardaway tallied a career-high 6 three-point shots, including three on consecutive possessions to give Michigan its first lead of the second half in an overtime victory against Ohio State.

The 27th victory of the season gave the team its most wins in 20 years and matched head coach John Beilein's career high.

[87] Two nights later, Michigan lost in the championship game to Louisville by an 82–76 margin as Hardaway contributed 12 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists.

[89] Hardaway signed with sports agent Mark Bartelstein, the father of a former Michigan teammate, who represents 37 NBA players.

[92][93] On March 12, the U.S. Basketball Writers Association named Hardaway to its 2012–13 Men's All-District V (OH, IN, IL, MI, MN, WI) Team, based upon voting from its national membership.

[97] Trey Burke and Hardaway became the first Michigan duo selected in the first round since Juwan Howard and Jalen Rose in the 1994 NBA draft.

[98][99] On July 8, the Knicks announced that Hardaway signed a four-year, $6.1 million contract, clearing the way for him to play in the 2013 NBA Summer League.

[101] Hardaway made his regular season debut in the 2013–14 Knicks season-opener on October 30, at home against Milwaukee, with 5 points on a 2–2 shooting night and 2 assists, during 15 minutes of playing time.

[108] With Carmelo Anthony and Raymond Felton sitting out the Christmas Day game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Hardaway matched his career high with 21 points.

[110] The following night Hardaway set a career high with a game-high (tied with Carmelo Anthony) 29 points against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

[130] Two days later, he played in his first game for the Hawks since November 28, scoring three points in 12 minutes off the bench in a 107–101 loss to the New York Knicks.

[142] On November 8, with Kristaps Porziņģis sidelined, Hardaway posted his first NBA career double-double with a game-high 26 points and 11 rebounds against the Orlando Magic.

[150] On January 31, 2019, Hardaway was traded, along with Trey Burke, Courtney Lee and Kristaps Porziņģis, to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for DeAndre Jordan, Wesley Matthews, Dennis Smith Jr. and two future first-round draft picks.

[152] On November 20, 2019, Hardaway was inserted into the starting lineup for the first time that season, scoring 20 points in a 142–94 win against the Golden State Warriors.

[158] On April 30, 2021, (with Luka Dončić and Dorian Finney-Smith sidelined), Hardaway posted his career-high 42 points against the Detroit Pistons.

[164] According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Hardaway and Dončić became the first pair of teammates in league history to each hit four-plus three-point shots in the same streak of five games from November 29 to December 6, 2022.

[168][169] On July 6, 2024, Hardaway was traded alongside three future second-round picks to the Detroit Pistons in exchange for Quentin Grimes.