Left: Anfernee “Penny” Hardaway was considered by many to be Memphis’ most creative dunker while Michael Wilson (right) was the Tigers’ highest leaper ever with a 52-inch vertical leap. Wilson, a Globetrotter for 10 years, is shown breaking the world record for highest dunk ever.
Tiger — perhaps Memphis’ most creative dunker of all time — thinks might be possible. “There is no other player like him out there, nobody in the NBA,” Tiger legend Anfernee “Penny” Hardaway says. “He is his own player. “To play NBA, with his height, he wouldn’t be on the post. So he needs to work on his jump shot, on his dribbling skills. He needs to be a player who defensively can shut people down. “People love athleticism and he certainly has that. He should get a look because of that alone.” But, if not, there is always … the Harlem Globetrotters? W W W. M E M P H I S . E D U
“I will never regret my time with the Globetrotters,” says former Tiger forward Michael Wilson, now a girls’ basketball coach in the Washington, D.C., area. “I went to 81 countries in my 10 years with them. “D.J.? You never know. He is so athletic. He uses it in every aspect of the game — blocked shots, rebounds, dunks — like I did. I think it will take him somewhere.” Wilson, whose vertical leap of 52 inches is still a Tiger benchmark, broke the Guinness Book of World Records mark for the highest dunk ever at 12 feet in 2000.
Life after Tiger basketball is something Stephens, who says he is often compared to Wilson, thinks about “a lot.” “Globetrotters? That wouldn’t be my first option, but I would consider it,” he says with just a hint of wanderlust. “Hopefully I will be playing in the NBA next year. If that doesn’t work out, then overseas.” But, with such high-flying skills, it is a sure bet he will land firmly on his feet somewhere interesting. (At press time, the Tigers were beginning play in the NCAA basketball tournament as a sixth seed.) — by Greg Russell SP R I NG 2013
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