Biography

The Air Wayup was the first shoe Anfernee wore in the NBA during his rookie season. It was of a fairly simplistic design, with black and Magic blue that had a small Vis-Air window in the side. This shoe was the first one to feature the now familiar 1-cent logo on the back and the swoosh on its side foreshadowed the shoe that would follow, Penny's first signature model.

Air Max Penny (1995-96)

Penny's first personally-tuned shoe made him one of Nike's most visual new endorsers. Coming in white and black, the Air Max Penny featured an Air Max heel unit and a Tensile-Air forefoot cushion [Tensile-Air was expanded and marketed in 1996 and thereafter as Zoom Air]. It had a unique CM-EVA support wing to provide lateral stability, which had a cool translucent blue swoosh spanning the side of the shoe. The Air Max Penny made the Penny logo larger and really provided a launch for Nike's marketing with Penny, including the first Li'l Penny commercials.

This fairly short-lived model came out in June of 1996, to be the shoe Hardaway wore in the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta. His usual number 1 was unavailable for him in the Centennial Games, so he wore #6 and the Zoom Flight 96 reflected that with its 6 on the back. It had a leather and shiny Super-Skin upper and was the first Nike hoops shoe with a full-length Zoom Air unit, which the company has thus adapted to many basketball shoes since.

Air Penny II (1996-97)

Available in three colors (blue, black, white), the Air Penny II has thus far been the most popular and widely available Penny shoe yet. Like its predecessor, it had the Max heel unit and Zoom forefoot unit with the lateral support wing connected to the midsole. A carbon-fiber plate was a big addition, allowing for better forefoot flexibility and spring from the court. The Air Penny II totally amplified the 1-cent logo, placing it on the tongue and back of the shoe [on the side reflector for the white model]. Besides the Air Jordan, the Penny II was the only other shoe named for a player in this past footwear season and proved to be a favorite among fans and footwear aficionados.

The Foamposite got its first media spotlight during the final game of the Final Four this year, on the feet of many of Arizona's players. Penny began to wear it during the '97 playoffs, which was the only time it will be on his feet. The Foamposite is very unique, with a CM-EVA integrated upper that is flawlessly part of the shoe's midsole, with a shiny blue color and wavy design. It has a full-length Zoom Air unit housed within the Foamposite construction, which gives the shoe its great cushion and protection. The Penny logo is very visible on the tongue and the shoe's outsole, which is composed of several flexgrooves around a carbon-fiber shank plate. The grooves make the shoe much more versatile than those before it. It goes on sale in early July and will retail at $180, Nike's most expensive shoe ever. A new modified Foamposite will be on Scottie Pippen's feet for the 1997-98 season.

Air Penny III (1997-98)

Available mid-November, this latest Hardaway shoe is a bit of a throwback to the Air Max Penny in design. The support wing is built into the midsole, this time made of polyurethane, and is colored shiny black (or blue), giving the shoe a much more fluid look. A small window on the back/side of the show features the 1-cent logo on a metallic backdrop. Again, a combination of Max Air and Zoom Air is being used, along with the inclusion of the shank plate. Carrying over from the Foamposite, the Air Penny III has the Optimal Motion flexgrooves that really improves the shoe's flexibility and court responsiveness. This shoe is black/blue for Fall '97 and white/blue for Spring '98 and retails at $150.

The Air Penny IV has the familiar combination of the heel of Max Air and the forefoot Zoom Air and a unique anti-inversion strap across the top. Set for a November release, the shoe is set to cost around $140.