Embarrasing encounter with Penny...
Back in 98 or 99 I was working in downtown Phoenix and walked across the street to a small hole in the wall deli to get something to eat. There was a tall thin african american man with a bandage around his foot sitting down. There was a big Phoenix Suns poster on the wall with 2 players on it. I looked at the guy, and looked at the poster and commented "you look like him" and he said "that is me." So I asked him what his name was and he said Penny Hardaway. I felt so dumb, I had heard the name many times but did not know his face.
This was at the time when he just signed with the suns and just had surgery on his foot. He was very popular at the time so it was really cool that he was sitting there!
We chit chatted for a few minutes. He told me that was not his body on the poster but just his face, he never actually posed for that poster. He told me he owned the deli, which I found hard to believe because it was a real dive but I guess he was helping a friend out with it with financing.
Just as I was leaving some fans came in and asked for his autograph to which he happily obliged.