{"id":781727,"date":"2018-07-19T09:10:16","date_gmt":"2018-07-19T13:10:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/?p=781727"},"modified":"2018-07-19T13:07:50","modified_gmt":"2018-07-19T17:07:50","slug":"penny-hardaways-sneaker-history-throwback-thursday","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/penny-hardaways-sneaker-history-throwback-thursday\/","title":{"rendered":"Penny Hardaway’s Sneaker History \/\/ Throwback Thursday"},"content":{"rendered":"
Birthday Cents.<\/p>\n
Welcome to a special birthday edition of Snkrs Day\u2019 Throwback Thursday. Today, we pay tribute to an iconic ’90s NBA guard who turned 47 yesterday. The man who flipped the script on style and swag, who had straight urban mass appeal, one the most iconic Nike basketball athletes in history, the man who helped put the Magic in Orlando and the 901 and Shelby Drive on the map: Anfernee \u201cPenny\u201d Hardaway<\/strong>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Originally selected by the Golden State Warriors and traded to the Orlando Magic on draft day for Chris Webber, Penny took the NBA by storm and made an immediate impact on Central Florida basketball culture. Prior to Penny\u2019s arrival, the Magic were a team in transition, anchored by their big man, Shaquille O\u2019Neal. The team struggled without a true leader and solid ball-handler. Penny Hardaway was, simply put, \u201cheaven cent” changing the basketball culture in Orlando and turning the franchise into a winner. During his rookie season, the Magic set a franchise record with 50 wins and clinched a playoff berth for the first time in franchise history. The legacy of Penny was born as a result of his beautiful and selfless style of play. Penny filled the void Jordan had left in the wake of his retirement, bringing a sense of hip-hop, mass urban and stylish appeal and swag to the game, coupled with a touch of Southern hospitality and a style of play that was reminiscent of a young Magic Johnson \u2013 the type of player with superb athleticism, quickness, and a supreme basketball IQ who could simply do it all. Penny emerged as a pass-first guard who posed as the ultimate triple threat. As a rookie, Penny posted averages of 13.3ppg\/5.1rpg\/5.5apg and 2.3 steals per game, 5th best in the league. In a guard-dominant league during the small-ball era filled with the likes of Gary Payton, Mookie Blaylock, John Stockton, Jason Kidd, and forward Scottie Pippen, Penny carved out his own piece of the pie and made himself a household name. The NBA was officially put on notice.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Penny\u2019s basketball legacy remains twofold: his personality and his iconic kicks. While his sneaker history is perhaps most synonymous with the 1997 Foamposite One, Penny rocked several other classic Nike models on court as well, namely the 1994 Nike Air Swift, 1994 Nike Air Up # 1 PE and the 1995 Nike Air GO LWP. Worn by a plethora of NBA players during the 1993\/1994 and 1994\/1995 NBA seasons, the Air Swift, Air Up and Air GO LWP were part of Nike’s Flight series, known for their lightweight design made specifically for guard-style play (LWP stands for Lightweight Performance). Featuring a lightweight phylon midsole, visible heel air sole unit, and a Huarache-like inner boot, both the Air Swift and the Nike Air GO LWP are two of the lightest basketball models ever created by Nike and served as the perfect instrument for the quintessential 90s guard who played at sea level and above the rim. While the Air GO LWP received the retro treatment in recent years, it paled in comparison to the quality and construction of the OG version. Additionally, and while not formally a part of the Penny signature line, the 1994 Nike Air Up is an early Penny PE model and remains a classic and iconic mid-90s basketball model that strikes a personal chord with die hard Penny fans.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ranked by Complex Magazine in 2012 as the 4th greatest Penny Hardaway Nike sneaker of all-time, the Nike Air Up evokes feelings of nostalgia not only among old school basketball enthusiasts and Penny fans but, interestingly, has gained popularity with the younger generation as well. Featuring beautiful blue suede panels and his signature #1 on the heel, the Air Up remains an iconoclastic 90s Nike basketball artifact, a truly special piece that has yet to see a proper retro. Other silhouettes worn by Penny throughout the early part of his career include the 1993 Nike Air Force Mid, two special PE colorways of the 1994 Air Jordan IX, 1994 Nike Air Pound, 1994 Nike Air Prevail #1 PE, 1995 Nike Air Lambaste, a model worn by Penny during the 1995 NBA All-Star Game in Phoenix, and the 1995 Nike Air Flight One worn throughout the 1995 NBA Finals.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Penny finally received the Nike signature sneaker treatment with the debut of the Air Max Penny in 1995. Considered one of the \u201c20 Designs That Changed the Game\u201d by Nike, the Air Max Penny aka Penny 1 is regarded as one of the most successful and popular Nike signatures in history, arguably second only to Air Jordan. One of the pioneering basketball sneakers to utilize both a Tensile Air forefoot with a Max2 heel air sole unit, the Air Max Penny was certainly ahead of its time. In the summer of 1996, Penny opted for the Nike Air Zoom Flight \u201896 #6 PE, worn by Penny during the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. The following year saw Penny debut the Foamposite One, another pioneering and trailblazing model which used blow-molded foam construction and took inspiration from the beetle for its toughness, durability, and aggressive-looking appearance. Penny took his game to the next level during the 1997 NBA Playoffs against the Miami Heat when he posted back-to-back 40-point performances to tie the series and force a Game 5. While the Magic ultimately lost the series in 5 games, Penny lost in style, elegance, and with grace. Due to the uniform policy which mandated that a player\u2019s sneakers match the team uniform, Penny used a black magic marker and created a series of black lines on the upper of his Foamposite One kicks, later known as the \u201cSharpie Foamposite,\u201d a trendsetting model which has maintained its relevancy in the sneaker game today, twenty years after its original debut.<\/p>\n