Ballin’ on Beale allows new Tigers to ‘experience Memphis’
Penny Hardaway walked down the blue carpet on a path outlined by blue and gray pom-poms as rapper Derez De’Shon’s “Hardaway” blared through the speakers on the corner of Beale Street.
The Memphis coach made his way to the blue basketball court while the crowd of what appeared to be 1,000-plus people cheered during his introduction at “Memphis Madness presents Ballin’ on Beale” — the Tigers’ 2025-26 men’s and women’s basketball season tipoff event — Thursday night in Downtown Memphis.
As the evening that served as the unofficial start to Hardaway’s eighth season as the Tigers’ coach unfolded, it was evident just how different the event was compared to the preseason pep rallies at FedExForum in Hardaway’s first few years.