At American Conference Media Day on Monday in Tampa, Memphis coach Penny Hardaway said that he contributed $2.6 million of his own money toward his team’s revenue sharing for the 2026-27 season. Hardaway told the Commercial Appeal that Memphis’ total revenue-sharing amount this season is $9 million.
“They didn’t ask me to do it, they were saying if you want more money, you have to put your money in. So I did,” Hardaway told Jason Munz of the Commercial Appeal. “I didn’t want to fail two years in a row, because I already know what that means for me. Because it’s already like the death sentence for me from so many different people, which is hilarious.”
The Tigers finished 13-19 (8-10 in the American) and missed the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2024, which turned the temperature up on his seat. Before that, Hardaway had guided Memphis to three appearances in the big dance in four years before finishing with the least amount of wins in a single season since the 1999-00 campaign…