I personally believe Kobe Bryant’s version of the story, simply because Bryant was treated the same way by Jerry Stackhouse, and I can see a younger Penny Hardaway feeling threatened by Kobe.
Kobe has always told the story of his days in high school — getting autographs from his favorite players like Shaq, Michael Jordan and others. Bryant also tells the story of stars shunning him — with one in particular being the time Penny wouldn’t grant his request.
Kobe said Shaq was "really nice" when he met him as a kid. But, "Penny, not so much. I kinda carried that w/ me for the rest of my career."
— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) March 28, 2016
Promoting his 30 for 30 with Shaq — Hardaway stopped by ESPN’s Highly Questionable and told a different story — one where he simply gave Bryant his “honest” opinion on whether he should enter the NBA Draft coming out of high school.