Nike Air Max Penny

About

The Nike Air Max Penny was Penny Hardaway's first official Nike signature shoe, releasing in late 1995 as the debut model of Nike Basketball's new Uptempo category. Designed by Eric Avar, the shoe was built around Hardaway's positionless style of play, which didn't fit neatly into Nike's existing Flight or Force lines. It combined an Air Max 2 cushioning unit in the heel for impact protection with a new forefoot technology called Tensile Air, later renamed Zoom Air, for court feel, a heel-Max/forefoot-Zoom template Avar said many later Nike Basketball shoes would reuse. Visible design details included an oversized jeweled Swoosh on a distinctive Phylon support wing, a pinstriped tongue referencing the Orlando Magic's uniforms, and Penny's new 1 Cent logo on the heel. It launched in three Orlando Magic-inspired colorways. The Lil' Penny puppet, voiced by Chris Rock, promoted the shoe in Nike's Locker Room ad campaign, becoming one of Nike's most memorable 1990s marketing efforts.