Sneaker News On August 8th, a theft was reported at the Penny Hardaway residence in Memphis, TN. Camera footage showed a man pushing shopping carts stacked high with boxes that were apparently taken from the front porch of Penny’s home. An arrest has been made on August 22nd; Ronald James, 42, was taken into custody by the Memphis Police Department.
Inside those boxes? Some of the rarest Nike shoes ever. According to a police report (h/t ESPN), twenty-six pairs of 1-of-1 Nike Foamposites made just for Penny were inside the stolen boxes. There’s no telling what the value of the shoes are, but given the demand of one-of-a-kind footwear in today’s market, the project value could be anywhere from $100,000 up to a million dollars.
The Nike Foamposite is one of Nike’s most avant-garde and unusual sneakers ever. At the time of its release in 1997, the shoes were critically panned for its appearance and high price-tag of $180. Penny Hardaway was the face of the model, and although the shoes don’t bear his name like his other signature shoes do, the Air Foamposite One is widely accepted as part of the Nike Penny signature line.
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- Camera footage of Ronald James with stolen goods Memphis Police Department/span>
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- Ronald James mugshot Memphis Police Department/span>
Despite the shoes being an epic failure in its original run, the Air Foamposite developed a cult following throughout the 2000s, eventually leading to it being the most coveted sneaker on the market for a good eighteen months in the early 2010s. In present day, Nike is still releasing the Air Foamposite One, with releases selling out at retail.
With so much owed to the former Orlando Magic superstar, Penny’s personal sneaker closet is likely packed with one-of-one samples, some of which that may have never seen the light of day given his relative low-key presence on social media.
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