Golden State Warriors (1989–1996) Hardaway was selected as the 14th overall pick of the
1989 NBA draft by the
Golden State Warriors. In his rookie season, Hardaway wore number
5 on his jersey, as
Manute Bol wore Hardaway's
10. After Bol left the Warriors, Hardaway acquired the number. Hardaway,
Mitch Richmond, and
Chris Mullin formed a trio known as
Run TMC (the initials of the players' first names and a play on the name of the popular rap group
Run-DMC). 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. Golden State made the playoffs during the 1990–91 season, Hardaway's second season and his first season in the playoffs. In the first round, the 7th seeded Warriors defeated the 2nd seeded
San Antonio Spurs led by All-Star
David Robinson in 4 games to advance to face the 3rd seeded
Los Angeles Lakers led by NBA legend
Magic Johnson. The Warriors managed to steal a game on the road in game 2, but could not defeat the more experienced Lakers, falling in five games despite Hardaway averaging 26.8 points, 12.8 assists and 3.8 steals for the series. 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. The following season Hardaway averaged a career-high 10.6 assists a game to get with his scoring average of 21.5, but the Warriors did not make the playoffs and would not return to postseason action for the remainder of Hardaway's tenure with the team. 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. He reached 5,000 points and 2,500 assists faster than any other NBA player except
Oscar Robertson. 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.
Miami Heat (1996–2001) Following the mid-season trade to Miami, Hardaway started 28 games to finish the season, averaging 17.2 points a game with 10 assists. Miami made the playoffs but were swept in the first round by the 72 win
Chicago Bulls. The following season was a huge success for Miami and for Hardaway, as he finished 4th in voting for the
NBA Most Valuable Player Award, was selected to the All-NBA First Team as Miami won a franchise record 61 wins. Hardaway started in 81 games, averaging 20.3 points, 8.6 assists, while placing fourth in the league with 203 three-point baskets. He also played in the
1997 NBA All-Star Game, scoring 10 points in 14 minutes. In the playoffs, Hardaway averaged 26 points a game as the Heat defeated the
Orlando Magic in the first round in 5 games, and then defeated the
New York Knicks in 7 games in the semifinals, in which Hardaway scored 38 points in the 7th game. Miami would once again fall to the defending champion
Chicago Bulls in the Eastern Conference Finals in 5 games. In the 1997–98 season, Hardaway averaged 18.9 points and 8.3 assist per game, and was selected to play in the
1998 NBA All-Star Game. The Heat won 55 games and won the Atlantic Division, but lost to the Knicks in 5 games in the first round of the playoffs. In the lockout shortened 1998–99 season, he averaged 17.4 points a game with 7.3 assists, and Miami won the Atlantic Division again but could once again not defeat the Knicks in the first round of the playoffs despite having home court advantage and the Knicks being the 8th seed in the playoffs. Hardaway's production slipped in the 1999–2000 season, with
Alonzo Mourning and
Jamal Mashburn carrying more of the offensive load. Hardaway averaged 13.4 points with 7.4 assists a game, but shot a personal best .367 percent from beyond the three-point arc. After playing just 52 games, Hardaway was further limited in the playoffs, as Miami defeated the
Detroit Pistons but once again fell to New York in 7 games. That summer, Hardaway and Mourning won a gold medal playing for the U.S.A. men's basketball team at the
2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia. Before the 2000–01 season Mourning would be diagnosed with a rare kidney disease, and would be sidelined for much of the season. Hardaway upped his offensive production to 14.9 points a game with 6.3 assists a game as Miami won 50 games and captured the East's third best record, only to be swept in the first round by the
Charlotte Hornets.
Dallas Mavericks (2001–2002) 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. He was at one time Miami's all-time leader in assists. With Dallas, Hardaway was mainly utilized off the bench, starting only two games out of 54 and averaging almost ten points a game. In the middle of the season, he was traded to the
Denver Nuggets alongside
Juwan Howard,
Donnell Harvey and a future first-round draft pick in exchange for
Nick Van Exel,
Tariq Abdul-Wahad,
Raef LaFrentz and
Avery Johnson.
Denver Nuggets (2002) With the Nuggets he started all 14 games he played with them before retiring and becoming a basketball analyst for
ESPN. 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.
Indiana Pacers (2003) 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. By the end of his career, Hardaway competed in five
NBA All-Star Games. ==Coaching career==