Guard Penny Hardaway, who has been out of the NBA since November 2005, signed a non-guaranteed contract with the Miami Heat on Thursday. Hardaway, who owns a home in South Florida, has been working out in the Miami area with several NBA players, including Carlos Boozer, Raja Bell and Heat power forward Udonis Haslem. The Hardaway signing reunites the guard with Heat center Shaquille O'Neal. The two helped lead Orlando to the 1995 NBA Finals against the Rockets. O'Neal departed Orlando a year later and subsequently questioned Hardaway's maturity, at one point referring to Hardaway as being "from the other side of the moon." O'Neal was consulted before Thursday's signing, the team said. Should Hardaway make the regular-season roster, he figures to vie for playing time with Dorell Wright, journeyman free-agent Jeremy Richardson and first-round pick Daequan Cook. His addition essentially confirms that veteran point guard Gary Payton has played his final game for the franchise.
Hardaway reunites with O'neal and Miami Heat