John Kim 
As part of the tenth anniversary of Paul Rodriguez’s signature sneaker, Nike SB surprised us a sudden re-release of his first signature shoe, the P-Rod 1. In that span, we’ve see eight pro models and endless colorways hit stores, and although they’ve been quite successful among skaters, the P-Rods never really moved the needle in the “sneakerhead” community. But that doesn’t mean there weren’t any gems along the way; early on, some of the more sought-after Nike SBs were P-Rods, which we’ll show appreciation for today with the latest installment of Sneaker News NINE@NINE. Read on below.
Nike SB P-Rod 1 “J-Rod”
Not only is the J-Rod the best Nike SB P-Rod of all-time, it’s among the best Nike SB shoes, period. Tinker Hatfield brought in some obvious Air Jordan elements to this release, but nothing’s more obvious than an actual Jumpman logo on the tongue.
Hiroshi Fujiwara x Nike SB P-Rod 2″
Hiroshi’s name is all the rage right now, but his random collaborations date back to the early 2000s when he designed a grip of different shoes for Nike. In 2007/2008, he designed a few colorways of the P-Rod 2, with this white pair being our personal favorite.
Nike SB Free Rod
This 2007 release was one of the most bizarre hybrids ever. The “Free Rod” combined a wildly colorful P-Rod 2 upper with the insanely comfortable Zoom Moire outsole (a Free outsole with Zoom Air cushioning and Nike+ technology), and this random mash-up seemed to impress sneakerheads who were still grasping onto the glory days of Nike SB.
Nike SB P-Rod 1 “Cinco de Mayo”
One of the more memorable releases was this awesome tribute to P-Rod’s Mexican heritage. Gone was the Swoosh on the upper, and in its place was a laser-etched graphic of an angle with wings. Perfect.
Nike SB P-Rod 4 High “Akuma”
One of the most underrated Packs in Nike SB history was the Street Fighter set that dropped a few years back. It came during an era when SB wasn’t really making much noise outside of the random GR Dunk, but this set that included the SB Dunk Low (Chun-li), SB Dunk Mid (Ryu), and P-Rod IV High (Akuma) was wamong the best of the 2010.
Sandy Bodecker x Nike SB P-Rod 2 High
This incredibly rare piece is likely forgotten by many, but it’s worth a mention simply because of the man involved in its creation. Sandy Bodecker is widely credited for the success of the Nike SB line, and his take on the new P-Rod 2 High in 2008 is one of the most unique we’ve seen yet.
Nike SB P-Rod 2 “Supreme”
The Supreme x Nike SB Dunk Low’s status as an immortal being in the sneaker game was recognized early on. Nike SB never revisited the Air Jordan III inspiration on one of its shoes until the P-Rod 2, which featured a “Black/Cement” and “True Blue” colorway that translated really well onto the sneakers.
Tinker Hatfield x Nike SB P-Rod 2 “Hatrod”
As part of the 2008 Nike SB Artist Series, Nike unearthed the P-Rod 2 silhouette with a special design by none other than Tinker Hatfield. He imagined the shoe in a clean light blue/black/gold colorway with an awesome woven upper and his autographed embroidered on the tongue.
Primitive x Nike Lunar Rod
In 2012, Nike paired a full-length Lunarlon sole from the Lunar Braata model with a P-Rod VI upper for a “casual” take on the signature skate shoe. The launch colorway, a collaboration with Rodriguez’s shop Primitive, took inspiration from an Air Max 1 “Safari” release years prior.
