Michael Jordan may be the name that the majority of the world associates with sneakers, but during the first mainstream “boom” in the sneaker market during the early-to-mid 1990s, many young players were poised to take the throne from MJ. One of the athletes that was on the team that took down Jordan and the Bulls on the court, was also one of the most popular signature athletes at the time. Anfernee “Penny” Hardaway helped lead the Orlando Magic past the Bulls with the help of Shaquille O’Neal in 1995.
During his high-flying tenure at Orlando, Penny was the face of Nike Basketball and his signature sneaker line is still one of the most loved series of sneakers still to this day. Among the styles that Penny wore before his signature line are the Nike Air Up, Nike Air Way Up, Air Go LWP, and more. His signature sneaker line officially began in 1995 with the Nike Air Penny Max but in 1997, the Nike Air Foamposite One became arguably the most important shoe associated with Penny Hardaway.
Leading up to the 1997 season, Penny Hardaway was an unstoppable force on the Orlando Magic court - and although injuries would derail his career during the 1996-1997 NBA season, for a handful of games, he wore a Player Exclusive colorway of the Foamposite that until now, had never been re-released. The white Air Foamposite One PE was exclusive to Penny back then, and Sole Collector paid attribute to him with a similar colorway back in 2011, but otherwise, it has remained an elusive colorway for many Penny Hardaway fans.
No release date has been announced yet, but expect these to release in the coming weeks.
