Thursday Throwback Posterization: Young Penny in College

For this week's Thursday Throwback Posterization, we have a young Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway from his college days at Memphis dunking over a dude on the U.A.B. (University of Alabama at Birmingham) Blazers. It appears that the game is being played at the Chicago Stadium AKA the Madhouse on Madison, which is where the Bulls played before the United Center was built. Penny looks a bit hesitant at first, as he nearly double dribbles and bobbles the ball around. But it doesn't take him long to get his eyes on the rim and take off from both feet. The way he lifts off and extends for the dunk makes for a truly memorable posterization.

Penny Hardaway remains the epitome of an NBA superstar who's career was derailed by injuries. Some superstar players who struggled with injuries have managed to come back, like Grant Hill, who's now a productive member of the Phoenix Suns. Penny tried to make it work in 2007 with Miami, but the Heat's season quickly went south with Dwyane Wade injured and Hardaway was waived a couple of months into the season. Had he remained healthy, I'm sure he would have eventually been inducted into the Hall of Fame. At least his legacy has lived on in the sneaker world with his immensely popular signature Nike shoes.

Just how good was Penny? Check out this article from Basketball-Reference.