As Hardaway Jr. plays in NBA Finals, Hardaway Sr. a proud papa

BOSTON – Tim Hardaway Jr. has gone to places in his basketball career that Tim Hardaway Sr. never went to. And that makes for a proud papa.

“He played on the biggest stage in college and they lost to Louisville,” Hardaway Sr. told Mavs.com. “And he’s in the NBA Finals now.

“It’s somewhere I was trying to get to as a collegian and as a professional, and he’s doing it. It means a lot.”

Hardaway Jr. and the Michigan Wolverines lost to Louisville, 82-76, in the 2013 NCAA national championship game on college basketball’s biggest stage. Fast forward 11 years later, and Hardaway Jr. is playing for the Dallas Mavericks on the NBA’s biggest stage – in the NBA Finals.

A couple hours before the Mavs and Boston Celtics played Game 1 of this best-of-seven series Thursday, Hardaway Sr. was near the court talking to his son and giving him a pep talk.

“Me and my dad always talk about situations like this in the NBA where guys don’t really have an opportunity to make it this far,” Hardaway Jr. said. “So just being able to make it this far and have those conversations, it’s a great experience.

“And being able to be healthy, fully healthy, I’m just happy and excited.”

In part because when the Mavs advanced to the Western Conference Finals and played the Golden State Warriors in 2022, he wasn’t able to participate in that series. That’s because earlier that season on Jan. 25, 2022 – ironically against the Warriors – Hardaway Jr. fractured the fifth metatarsal and didn’t play the rest of the season.

“If we had made the Finals it was talk of me coming back,” Hardaway Jr. said. “But we didn’t get that far.

“Before every game I was working out on the court 30-40 minutes every game day before the guys got here – four hours before the game. I was just preparing myself just in case that ever happened.”

Meanwhile, Hardaway Sr. was the 14^th overall pick of the 1989 NBA Draft by the Warriors, was a five-time All-Star, won a gold medal at the Olympics in Sydney, Australia, in 2000 and retired from the NBA after the 2002-03 season. He also was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2022, but was adamant that he never insisted that his son follow in his giant footsteps and pursue basketball as a career move.

“No, I did not push him toward basketball because I played basketball,” Hardaway Sr. said. “It’s a choice for him and it’s always his choice. When he started playing basketball as a little kid, if you said you could see your son making the NBA, you’re a (expletive delete) lie.

“It takes hard work, it takes dedication, he got to put in the work, he got to put in the dedication, he got to put in the hours, he got to put in the time, and he got to put in all that stuff like I did to take him to that next level, and that’s what he did. And that’s why he’s always prepared, that’s why he’s always ready and that’s why he stays ready.”

A point guard who was widely known for his killer crossover moves, Hardaway Sr. recalls the times when his son would practically sleep with a basketball.

“He was definitely like that with a basketball in his hand all the time, just like me,” he said. “And when you see a person with a basketball in his hand, you can tell that he loves the game. Like truly, truly, truly love the game. And works on his game and works on aspects of his game.

“He’s always been attentive, always been early, always been respectful, and come out here and play and do his thing and go from there.”

Hardaway Jr., who was chosen by the New York Knicks with the 24^th overall pick of the 2013 NBA Draft, said his dad often gives him some sage pieces of advice to help prepare him for a game and keep him level-headed.

“Embrace it, have fun, be aggressive when your number is called and just be ready,” Hardaway said, repeating what his dad told him. “You never know what’s going to happen.

“You’ve played in the playoffs numerous of times before and had success in them. So, when given the opportunity, go out there and contribute and just go out there and have fun and don’t worry about anything else.”

While he was having fun and playing in the NBA, the farthest Hardaway Sr. ever advanced in the playoffs was to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2017 when he was playing for the Miami Heat. He averaged 18.7 points, seven assists and 1.6 steals in 17 playoff games that year, but lost to the greatest player of all-time — Michael Jordan — and the Chicago Bulls in five games in the conference finals.

Hardaway Sr., who averaged 17.7 points and 8.2 assists in 867 career games, played the 2001-02 season for the Mavs. He also was a teammate of current Mavs coach Jason Kidd on the 2000 Olympic team in Australia.

But now, Hardaway Sr. is just a proud papa enjoying watching his son play on the NBA’s biggest and brightest stage.

“I’m riding with him,” Hardaway Sr. said of his son. “I’m watching him. That’s my man. I’m Hardaway crew. He put in all the work to get here and to be in this position, and I’m very happy for him.”

X: @DwainPrice