KICKS: The Nike Air Penny I's In The Hoopography House!!!

As you all know by now, I'm a huge Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway fan. I collect Hardaway cards, posters and now kicks. Actually, these Nike Air Penny I's are the second pair of Hardaway kicks that I've laced up. About 16 years ago I had an original pair with this Orlando Magic colorway. They looked great back then and these retro's look even better today.

The retro's were released this past February or March, but sold out in my area pretty quickly. Every now and then I would go into the many sporting good stores I frequent and see a pair on the shelves. However, a random size 8 or 18 isn't really going to help me. A couple weeks ago I again saw a pair on the shelf and asked the young punk working in the store if they had any pairs in size 10 or 10.5. He proceeded to just laugh at me. I left the store like a wounded puppy with my tail between my legs. Fortunately, I'm persistent and went into a discount/surplus Foot Locker about a mile from my house this weekend and again saw a pair on the shelf. They had one pair of size 10's left. Did I feel like a kid in a candy store? Nope, I felt like a sneakerhead in a sneaker store.

Happy collecting and… "Enjoy Every Bounce of the Ball".

Here's a stock photo of the Nike Air Penny I's along with the actual size 10's!!!

Poll Battle of the Kicks: Lebron 8 Vs. Nike Zoom Kobe VI

Kicks: KG's Footwear Shot At The Defending Champs

Most of the Kicks post series has focused on past iconic athletic footwear, but these new ANTA Kevin Garnett kicks caught my eye. Mainly, because of the message it sends to the Celtics hated rival… the LA Lakers. The shoe has the Celtics record against the Lakers, 152-120, right on the tongue of the shoe. I like the message KG is sending for Sunday's showdown against the Lakers. He believes the Celtics are the superior team/franchise, and he's not afraid to say it… or wear it.

I'm not sure these are the kicks I'd be rockin' on the hoops court, but I could definitely see my self putting these on with a pair of jeans. They're kinda cool. What do you think? Are these cool kicks? Do you like the message KG is sending with these green goblins?

Here's a link to more picks of the ANTA KG 1 shoe: click here.

Images courtesy of counterkicks.com

Bo Knows… KICKS: Nike Air Trainer SC

Nike Air Trainer SC

Today I get the chance to combine two of my favorite post series, Bo Knows… and KICKS. That's definitely a good thing since it's been a couple weeks since I've added to either series. And with Nike's very successful Bo Knows… ad campaign that I'm obviously playing off of for this post title, it's about time I combined the two series.

As previously mentioned, Nike's Bo Knows… ad campaign was enormously successful. Unfortunately, it was also brief due to the catastrophic hip injury Bo suffered against the Bengals in a 1991 NFL playoff game. Really, the Bengals? Come on! What's something positive the Bengals have done for sports in the past 20 years? I can't think of anything and the Jackson injury is just making me more displeased with the Bungles franchise. Anyways, back to the Nike campaign. Despite the injury and 20 years, Nike has never really given up on the iconic campaign.

2010 Nike Trainer SC

Nike has re-released the Air Trainer SC recently (pictured right). This is an updated version of the original SC. In the past, Nike was just producing the Air Trainer SC as retro's. You can see the original Air Trainer SC at the top of the post. The retro version has been released in almost ever color scheme imaginable, but I like the orange, blue and white. It's just classic.

Most of the sneakers I feature in the KICKS series I have worn personally at some point in time. Unfortunately, I have not had the pleasure of rockin' this cross trainers as of yet, but I'm working on it.


Yep, Bo Knows… Kicks. Checkout the Nike TV commercial from the early 90's below and… "Enjoy Every Bounce of the Ball".

- Need more Bo Knows… posts? (click here)
- Need more KICKS posts? (click here)
- Want free Panini Timeless Treasures cards? (click here)

KICKS: Nike Air Mag 2015, They Are Back… From The Future

Oh how sweet a hoverboard would be!

If Nike could sell millions of pairs of kicks because of the on-court exploits of Michael Jordan, just imagine how many pairs of Nike Air Mag 2015's the sporting apparel company could have sold because of the totally rad hoverboard skills of Marty Mcfly in Back to the Future II.

Like many other movie goers, I'm a huge fan of the Back to the Future film franchise. The movies were fun, imaginative and incorporated some really great 80's design. I also love all things kicks, so the Air Mag 2015's are really a perfect fit for me (cheesy play on words).

The look of the Air Mags are certainly cool,  and unique for the time. Actually, if you really look closely at them, it's certainly easy to see similarities of popular Nike kicks that came after these Back to the Future kicks. Did designers at Nike secretly incorporate design elements from the Air Mags as precursors to a potential future release of the iconic costume sneaker?

Nike Air Pump,                                           Nike Air Jordan XI's,                                          Nike Air Hyperdunk

That little theory might just be a little far fetched, but it does seem that Nike has some interest in the Air Mags. If you believe the rumors, and I always do when they suit me, Nike filed a patent for power laces. If you remember, Mcfly didn't even have to lace up his Nikes. They automatically lace themselves when the user slips their foot into the sneaker. Although the idea of automatic laces being placed on an Air Mag designed sneakers from the film is wishful thinking, it's not a far fetched assumption. This assumption is fairly valid since Nike used the Air Mag silhouette and basic design in the patent filings it sent to the World Intellectual Property Organization on November 5th, 2009 (click here!).

When could these futuristic kicks from the past show up on shelves? Since Marty Mcfly wore the Air Mags in 2015, I'm guessing Nike is working on getting these ready for that future date. One things for sure, I better not mess up the space time continuum. I don't want to have to go back to the future to get a pair of these kicks. That would be heavy!

- Need more Kicks posts, click here.

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KICKS: NIKE AIR FORCE MAX AND THE FAB FIVE

              Image Courtesy of NKETLK.com                                          '93 Classic Four Sport Tri-Card (Hardaway, O'neal, Webber)

The Air Force Max Nikes are one of the most iconic kicks of the mid 90's. These hardcore baller kicks were originally released in 1993 for Sir Charles himself. No, not me. Actually, they were released for Sir Charles Barkley. There's no denying Barkley's influence as a spokesperson for Nike, but it was Michigan's Fab Five that shot this sneaker into the pop culture stratispher.

These were cool kicks that an all freshmen, baggy shorts, black socks wearing starting five wore while they took the collegiate basketball ranks by storm. Truth be told, the Fab didn't actually start wearing these as freshmen. Actually, it was the Nike Air Flight Huaraches that the Five first started rockin' that fateful freshman year, but they did wear the Air Force Max Nikes during their sophmore seasons. Checkout the '93 Classic Four Sport Tri-Card featuring Anfernee Hardaway, Shaquille O'neal and Chris Webber. First, this is a really cool card and I'm excited that this KICKS series post allows me to show this card off. Second, checkout what Webber is got on his feet. It might be a little tough to tell, but those are the AF Max sneakers. Sure, those Converse kicks Hardaway was breakin' ankles in are cool, but the Nikes are iconic.

The Air Force Max sneakers were rereleased as retro's a year or two ago. They're a pair I would have loved to add to my collection, but it just wasn't in the cards. How's that for a play on words? I know a number of people who bought a pair and they love 'em. The unquestioned best design feature is the visible heel air sole. The mostly all black color scheme with a pair of black Nike socks is a nice look too.

In honor of the Tri-Card and the fact that the three players featured are some of my favorites to collect, here are the videos of their NBA Draft selections:

Anfernee Hardaway '93 Draft	Shaquille O'neal '92 Draft	Chris Webber '93 Draft

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Kicks: (Shawn Kemp's) 1996 Reebok Kamikaze II

(Reebok Kamikaze II)

It's been a couple weeks since the last Kicks post, but I think this installment is a good one. Shawn Kemp terrorized the NBA during the mid 90's by reigning down thunderous dunks on unsuspecting defenders and crashing the boards. How did Kemp manage to rule the NBA skies back in the day? It's these sweet kicks of course.

These Reebok Kamikaze II's came out just in time for the 1996 NBA season. If you remember, this was the season Kemp's Sonics made it all the way to the NBA Finals. I know the Sonics lost that Finals in six games to the Chicago Bulls, but I don't think it's a coincidence that Seattle and Kemp had their best seasons during the Kamikaze II's reign. Just look at that crazy sneaker design. With kicks like that, who couldn't get up and throw it down like that. Ok, on an 8ft rim of course.

Need more Shawn Kemp? Checkout this Rookie Cards For $10 Bucks or Less post on Kemp's RC's from several months ago.

Kicks: Nike Air Penny & Lil' Penny

Image Courtesy of: kicksonfire.com

There's no questioning the design and performance of Nike's basketball kicks, but lets face it, a lot of Nike's success stems from its ability to pump out great marketing campaigns. Case and point, the mid 90's Lil' Penny character to market the Nike Air Penny line. I became a hoops fan because of "His Airness" way back when. I converted to Knickerbockerism somewhere toward the late 90's, early oughts, but somewhere between MJ and the Knicks conversion is Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway. I guess it's all tied together and makes sense. MJ tortured the Knicks and "Penny" tortured Jordan every now and then (Would've been longer if not for injuries.):

("Penny" showing Jordan just who the new kid on the block is.)

('96 UD SPx Hardaway Tribute Card)

Hardaway is by far my favorite player to collect trading cards and memorabilia of. I really liked his game when he and Shaquille O'neal were the future of the NBA. There are tons of great 90's inserts and on-card auto's of Penny as well. Some the highest cards on my wish list are of Penny Hardaway. He is definitely one of those players that garners a cult following by collectors, just as players like Larry "Grand Ma Ma" Johnson and Grant Hill do. The '96 Upper Deck SPx Tribute card not only features a great card design, but also shows Hardaway rockin' the Nike Air Penny kicks. There's also an auto'd version of this card serial numbered to 300 that is tops on my wish list. Besides becoming one of Upper Deck's biggest spokesmen of the 90's, Hardaway was nearly front and center in one of Nike's most successful and entertaining ad campaigns.

I say "nearly front and center" because Hardaway was out shinned by "Lil' Penny" in the many Nike TV ads to promote the Air Penny kicks. "Lil Penny's" voice was of course performed by movie director Spike Lee. The fast talking quick witted puppet helped Anfernee Hardaway become a household name. Much the same way Mars Blackmon did for Jordan in the late 80's and early 90's. Maybe the lack of Spike Lee in the Lebron James commercials is why James' popularity has dipped.

(Nike Air Penny TV AD)

(Nike Promotional Poster)

The Nike Air Penny kicks themselves were truly a work of fashion and sneaker art. The swede texture and detailed stitching gave these kicks a refined looked that was only enhanced by the Orlando Magic blue and white colors. The visible Air Max heel sole screams 90's and the white outer sole was unmistakable going up and down a basketball court. These were obviously some stylish kicks, but they were also comfortable. I had a pair and really enjoyed the fit of the mid-sole. However, I did have one complaint. Not everyone gets a new pair of their own shows like Jordan or Penny would have before every game. The bottom tread on the white portion of the sole would tend to wear out and lose traction. Despite this performance flaw, these are some stylish kicks and just so happen to be rumored for a 2011 Spring retro release. You can bet this collector will be first in line to pickup my second par of Air Penny kicks in two decades.

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Kicks: Nike Air DT Max (Deion Sanders)

image courtesy of Sneakerfiles.com

I normally chronicle a basketball sneaker in the Kicks Series posts, but one of the craziest looking footwear creations was actually born on the gridiron with the Deion Sanders inspired Nike Air Diamond Turf (DT) Max kicks. These came out in 1996 when "Neon Deion" was the best shutdown corner in the NFL. Opposing teams didn't even throw toward the side of the field that Sanders was lurking. Was it the shoes that helped make Sanders so great. Not likely. Although the DT Max kicks are pretty sweet looking, Deion was a bona fide superstar before that '96 season. However, Sanders and the Dallas Cowboys did win Super Bowl XXX that year. I'm just saying… they're pretty good looking sneakers and it takes more than just sweat and hard work. It takes some fly looking kicks to get things done sometimes.

image courtesy of Sneakerfiles.com

No question, the most interesting design element of these Diamond Turf kicks is the tiger stripes or waves depending on your perspective. They're wild and abrasive just like Deion was. The visible Air Max mid sole is always cool too on Nike's creations. These sneakers were originally released in '96, but have been re- released as retro's. They came out just a couple of weeks ago for $125 with a few slight changes to the original design. The upper (Upper: Sneakerhead lingo for top part of the shoe/sneaker that holds the foot to the mid sole) has some always popular patten leather on the versions with a white background in the color schemes (In the case of the images from this post, the white and red Diamond Turfs). Another change is the lack of Deion Sanders image on the visible Air Max pocket on the bottom heel of the outer sole. I'm assuming this is because Nike no longer has an agreement with "Prime Time".

Speaking of Nike agreements, Deion was a spokesman for Nike all through the 90's. As a two-sport star and general load mouth, Sanders was a prime candidate to be a pitchman for Nike. It also didn't hurt that when the stadium lights were turned on, Deion's neon never shined brighter. Here's a YouTube clip of Sanders promoting the Nike Air DT Max:

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Kicks: Iverson & The Question Crossover Michael

In the second of the "Kicks" series we have the Reebok Question. Allen Iverson had a number of solid kicks made by Reebok, but the Reebok Question are easily the most memorable. They came out in 1996, Iverson's rookie year, and helped get Reebok back into the sports apparel game. By this point, the Reebok Pump had ran its course and Reebok needed to grab some market share back. Market share that Reebok had lost in its head-to-head match up with Nike during the late 80's and early 90's. Reebook certainly found what they were looking for with Iverson. Not only did they make a great looking and functional sneaker, but Iverson gave Reebok instant street cred.

As if the street cred Iverson provided wasn't enough, the Reebok Question is a very cool looking pair of kicks. The outer bottom sole was a translucent light blue rubber that was reminiscent of the Nike Air Jordan XI's. They also featured a very cool visible honeycomb pocket that was similar to Nike's visible air pockets. Although Reebok designers seemed to barrow design elements from Nike, the sneaker was different enough to distinguish itself as one of the best sneaker designs of the 90's and that's saying a lot.

No matter how cool a sneaker looks, and the Reebok Questions did look great, they still need to perform on the court. I had a pair of these when I played in high school. Although they look bulky and cumbersome, they're actually surprisingly light. This is partly due to the visible Hexalite honeycomb cushioning system Reebok utilized in this sneaker. They certainly aren't as light as a sneaker featuring the Nike Zoom Air technology, but they allow for solid responsive cushioning and stability. If you don't believe me, just ask Iverson himself. Better yet, ask Michael Jordan. He got a good look as Iverson and the Reebok Questions crossed him up back in Iverson's rookie season.

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Kicks: Who Remembers the Reebok Pump?

Sneakers, or kicks as the kids call them these days, are a collectors item in themselves. New releases and custom artist designed kicks can sell for big money (click here). For something as simple as the rubber and leather that covers our feet, the sneaker head obsession does seem a bit ridiculous. However, as with any other collectible, the beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I myself collect sneakers. More importantly, I also wear them so as to get the full use and enjoyment out of each pair. I'll highlight some of the kicks in my collection as well as some of the more iconic footwear from the past 30 or so years in a series of "Kicks:" posts right here on Hoopography.

The first installment of "Kicks:" features the ultra rad Reebok Pumps. I love the old school Reebok Pumps from the late 80's and early 90's. It seemed that Nike had every great NBA superstar signed up to the Swoosh, but Reebok had it going on for a while too with spokesman like Dominique "Human Highlight Film Wilkins, Doc Rivers and Shaquille O'neal. Plus, they put together one heck of a cool marketing campaign to go head to head with Nike.

The Pump technology was truly innovative. The air pockets inflated to allow for a highly desired tighter fit. Whether tying ones shoelaces tighter couldn't also accomplish this same feat is another topic entirely and it didn't really matter to consumers weather the air pockets really made that much of a difference or not. Between the cool factor and creative TV commercials like the one to the left, Reebok had found a winner with the Pump.

My favorite Pump sneaker was the original Shaq Attack kicks. Shaq was the hot commodity of the early and mid 90's for sporting apparel giants like Reebok and Starter. You could even get a small pressurized tube of air called the Insta Pump for the Reebok Shaq Attacks. The Insta Pump filled the air pockets automatically. Although the Reebok Shaq Attack line did not sustain the same longevity as the Nike Air Jordans, they were just as hot at their brief pinnacle.

Did anyone have a pair of Reebok Pumps back in the day? If so, how do you think they compare to modern day kicks of today like these Nike Zoom Kobe V's?