Is Ashton Hardaway related to Penny Hardaway? Closer look at Memphis Tigers’ player-coach duo

Ashton Hardaway is steadily making waves in his first year playing for the University of Memphis under his father and former NBA All-Star Penny Hardaway, the coach of the Tigers.

The young Hardaway came off the bench to score 17 points and lead his team to a 71-67 win over Michigan in their Battle 4 Atlantis game in the Bahamas. The win kept Memphis undefeated in the tournament at 4-0.

Ashton Hardaway was a four-star recruit from Duncanville High School in Texas. He had offers to play for five other teams but decided to go with Memphis and join his father Penny Hardaway, who he believes would help him a lot in taking his game to the next level.

On joining the Tigers, as per Joe Tipton of On3 Sports, he said:

“Really, my dad, He’s been at the highest level before, and he knows what it takes to get there. Nobody will have my best interest more than my dad. We love each other, and it’s deeper than basketball.”

While at Duncanville High School, Ashton Hardaway averaged 10 points, 2.8 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.2 steals per game. He led his squad to a 35-1 overall record and a No. 1 ranking in the state of Texas.

At Memphis, he plays with his brother Jayden Hardaway, who is in his fifth season.

Meanwhile, Penny Hardaway played 14 seasons in the NBA. Injuries plagued his NBA career, but he still made his mark, becoming a four-time All-Star and helping the Orlando Magic to reach the 1995 NBA Finals.

He also won an Olympic gold medal in the 1996 Summer Games in Atlanta as part of the United States men's basketball team.

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Penny Hardaway's transition to coaching

After his playing career ended in 2007, Penny Hardaway turned his attention to coaching. His coaching career began with his middle school alma mater, Lester Middle School in Tennessee in 2011, taking over for his friend Desmond Merriweather.

There, he helped the Lester Lions to the West Tennessee State title, finishing with a 28-3 record. Penny Hardaway found his way to coaching the Memphis Tigers in 2018, replacing Tubby Smith. In his first year as coach, Hardaway led the Tigers to the National Invitation Tournament.

In 2023, Hardaway led Memphis to an American Athletic Conference championship and also a berth in the NCAA Division I tournament. They were, however, eliminated after a narrow 66-65 loss at hands of Florida Atlantic University.