"I had to destroy him first to get him to respect me": Penny Hardaway gets candid on playing Michael Jordan 

Memphis basketball coach Penny Hardaway revealed that he used to rest well beforehand and play hard against NBA legend Michael Jordan. He said that was the only way to play well against Jordan.

Before becoming a coach, Hardaway had a 14-year career playing in the NBA. He played for the Orlando Magic, Phoenix Suns, New York Knicks and Miami Heat. He made the NBA All-Star team four times and the All-NBA First Team twice.

However, one of the highlights of his career was playing against Michael Jordan, who is widely regarded as the greatest player to grace a basketball court.

During their playing days, Hardaway faced Jordan 21 times in the NBA, with Jordan winning 14 of those, while Hardaway won seven.

In an interview on "The Pivot Podcast" released on Tuesday, Hardaway shared an insight into how he played against Jordan.

“First, you get your rest, because you know you're gonna be in for a game,” the Memphis Tigers coach said. “Secondly, you go at him first, don't give him the chance to go at you.

“That was my mentality, because I feel like this is the GOAT. I get a chance to go against him, to compete against him. I gotta destroy him. My thing was to destroy him, to get him to respect me.

“I already had the ultimate respect for him, but I was going to compete and go at him. And that's what I did.

More of Penny Hardaway's insights on playing against Michael Jordan

Penny Hardaway also recalled a game when Jordan was unavailable, but he and his Orlando Magic team still got beaten.

“I remember going to Chicago, and I was actually in the club in Chicago at like 2 am, or something like that, and this dude walked up to me and go, ‘Bet you, if Mike was here, you wouldn't’, because Mike wasn't with the Bulls,” Hardaway added.

“But we still got smacked by 25 the next day, by Ron Harper, Scottie Pippen, Toni Kukoc. They smacked us."

Aside from his offensive prowess, Jordan was also a great defender. To add to these, he always brought intensity to the game, especially against rivals like Penny Hardaway and Shaquille O'Neal's Orlando Magic.

Jordan's Bulls dominated the league in the 1990s, winning six NBA titles with the team. He earned a record six Finals MVP awards.