The Tim Hardaway Jr. File
Team: Dallas Mavericks
Height: 6-5
Weight: 205
Age: 30
Birthday: 3/16/1992
College: Michigan
Draft: 24th overall pick, 2013
Contract: Signed a 4-year, $75 million contract in 2021
Rewards/Accomplishments
- First Team All-Rookie, 2013-14
- Top ten in three point attempts, 2019-20, 2020-21
- Top five in turnover percentage, 2013-14 (5.9), 2019-20 (6.7), 2020-21 (6.1)
Like father, like son
Tim Hardaway Jr. burst into the NBA as a man with expectations. As the son of Tim Hardaway, living up to them isn't always easy. The Hardaway's became the first father and son duo to play for the Dallas Mavericks. Crazy enough, Dirk Nowitzki was a teammate with both of them. Yet Hardaway Jr. didn't always find it easy in the league, once contemplating retirement after being sent down to the G-League. He described the incident as a dark period, but eventually overcame adversity, leading to a big contract with Dallas. That worked out for Hardaway, as he wasn't put into a situation where he was forced to use his first NBA paycheck.
Hardaway maintains that he never used that first career check from the Knicks, claiming it is still in his bank account to this day. He supposedly wasn't a big spender when that big payday came rolling in, choosing to instead be more low-key. As someone that bonded over the famous video game, Call of Duty, with his Michigan teammates in college, the story certainly adds up. At least that's one area where Hardaway Jr. won't be compared to his father.