Miami Heat legend Tim Hardaway reportedly spent the 2021-22 NBA season in a scouting role for the New York Knicks.
According to the New York Post’s Marc Berman, Hardaway has been a part of the Knicks’ group at the league’s draft combine.
“Hardaway — who will be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in September — didn’t hate them enough to turn down a job though,” Berman wrote. “The Post has learned Hardaway was hired this season as a Knicks scout, though the club didn’t announce it.
“Hardaway, a former Heat scout and [Detroit] Pistons assistant coach, has been in the room this week while Knicks brass has interviewed draft prospects at the draft combine.”
Hardaway, a five-time All-Star, spent over five seasons in Miami and was named to the All-Star team twice while playing for the Heat.
He has experience working with NBA coaching staffs and front offices in his post-playing career, and it appears the Knicks value his opinion when evaluating the future of the franchise in the 2022 NBA Draft.
Hardaway came to Miami during the 1995-96 season and stayed with the Heat through the 2000-01 campaign. He was the No. 14 overall pick in the 1989 NBA Draft and made five All-NBA teams during his career.
The Knicks have been tied to Hardaway’s family for some time, as they drafted his son Tim Jr. in the 2013 NBA Draft. The younger Hardaway has had two different stints with the Knicks and currently plays for the Dallas Mavericks.
The elder Hardaway was one of Miami’s best players during his time in South Beach.
He posted one of the best seasons of his career in the 1996-97 season, as he scored 20.3 points to go with 3.4 rebounds and 8.6 assists per game.
The Heat and Knicks had some epic battles during the elder Hardaway’s career, but now he is helping his former rival as the Knicks try to make their way back into the playoffs next season.
