 Penberthy tried out for the Indiana Pacers and tore his right hamstring; he took three months off and joined the Continental Basketball Association team Idaho Stampede, which drafted him from college.The Stampede cut Penberthy, who said he "hated" playing there, and he transferred to the German team Hamburg Tigers.During the summer of 1998, when the NBA locked out its players, Penberthy worked as a forklift driver at Turf Tek, a company managed by a cousin of his.