BONGANI MALUNGA
Nothing evokes nostalgia like the re-release of a classic sneaker which was a fan favourite back in the day. Basketball players’ signature shoes were the hottest commodity for any fashion savvy hip hop fan in the 1990s and numerous players who were at the peak of their game had personal endorsement deals which came with the release of their own personal trainers.
The bigger the star, the higher the demand for their signature shoe. One player who had somewhat of a cult following was former Orlando Magic point guard Penny Hardaway who played his best basketball in a Magic jersey. He is regarded as one of the players who defined 90s era basketball and many current NBA players have named him as one their greatest inspirations.
Penny was a perennial All Star from 1995 to 1998, he also helped Orlando Magic reach the 1995 NBA Finals. His first signature shoe, the Air Max Penny 1 was coveted by many who thronged retail outlets to purchase the sneaker.
Penny’s sneaker collection is still admired by many to this day, including celebrities like basketball star DeMar DeRozan and rapper The Game who were featured in a popular sneaker show named Sneak Peek presented by Nice Kicks. The two stars mentioned how they revered the Penny collection and proudly declared that they still own pairs of his legendary shoes.
Last year the retired Hardaway released a video where he teased that himself and sneaker retailer Footlocker had something in store for fans, and the big surprise was revealed in April this year as they announced that the Air Max Penny 1 will be hitting shelves in new colourways (themes) for 2018. The iconic shoe will be released in six different colourways, the first being the royal blue and gym red styles which are currently available at a retail price of $160 (approximately P1600). The June 30th releases are the first in a line of six colourways to follow this year.
A ‘white metallic’ colourway is already set for release next month. September will see the arrival of a black and orange version of the Air Max Penny 1, the colourway is expected to have a predominantly orange colour which is dedicated to his time with the Phoenix Suns and the New York Knicks. The Suns usually don orange jerseys while the Knicks have a dash of orange in their club colours, Penny played for both teams later in his career.