Hardaway and the Mavericks have a shot at an NBA championship in a few weeks.
In his 11th NBA season, Michigan standout Tim Hardaway Jr. has a chance to win his first NBA title, as the Dallas Mavericks are set to face the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals next week.
Go get that , @T_HardJR pic.twitter.com/l1uSAoAaHi
— Michigan Men’s Basketball (@umichbball) May 31, 2024
Hardaway started in all 107 games he played across three seasons for the Wolverines, averaging 14.3 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game while shooting 42.5 percent from the field, 34.3 percent from three and 72.4 percent from the free throw line. Hardaway was an integral part of the 2012-13 Michigan team that was one win away from winning a National Championship, as he was the second-leading scorer behind point guard Trey Burke.
Hardaway was drafted 24th overall by the New York Knicks in the 2013 NBA draft, and has carved out a nice career for himself as a 3-and-D role player who has now been in the NBA for more than the decade.
After two stints with the Knicks and two seasons with the Atlanta Hawks, Hardaway has been with the Mavericks since being part of the Kristaps Porzingis trade in the 2019, and has been a key bench piece for Dallas. He’s no stranger to the playoffs, as Hardaway has averaged 9.7 points per game in 38 playoff games, with a playoff career-high 28 points coming in a Game 2 win in the first round against the Los Angeles Clippers in 2021.
Hardaway is one of about a dozen former Michigan players in the NBA, and he’s the third Wolverine to appear in the NBA finals this decade, joining Duncan Robinson with the Miami Heat in 2020 and 2023 and Jordan Poole, who was a key piece in Golden State’s championship run, in 2022 .
Momentum swings quickly in the NBA finals, and if Hardaway can get hot from three, he can help the Mavericks take a game or two en route to a potential title. It was be awesome to see him get a ring to round out what’s been a pretty impressive, lengthy pro career.
Michigan fans can watch Hardaway in the NBA Finals on ABC, with Game 1 tipping off at 8:30 p.m. EDT on Thursday, June 6.