TIGER BASKETBALL

Memphis basketball: Penny Hardaway's brand has hoops fans coming back for more

Drew Hill
Memphis Commercial Appeal

The release of Nike's second Memphis Tigers themed sneaker over the last four months may not have triggered pandemonium in the mall the way the first did, but Penny Hardaway pegged the response his latest shoe as "amazing."

June 1 marked the release in stores and online of the Nike Zoom Rookie Memphis Tigers sneakers, another shoe that features black and blue tiger stripes as well as Hardaway's One Cent logo.

In March, Nike released limited edition Tiger-themed Foamposite sneakers, which triggered shoppers to arrive at Wolfchase Galleria hours before it opened and sprint to get in line for a pair. 

"Nike has done an incredible job of keeping that going, and they are going to continue to keep it going with having the No. 1 recruiting class and dropping those shoes at the same time," Hardaway said. "It's a smart choice by Nike and I'm enjoying seeing the shoes come out."

Nike released Hardaway's first ever signature shoe in 1995, the Air Max Penny, beginning a long chain of signature sneakers over his playing career.

The most universally popular pair is the Nike Air Foamposite One’s, which originally released in 1997 in only one color. The shoe company is still releasing new colorways and special-edition pairs today.

"(The Foamposites) are just special to the sneaker culture in general," Travis Singleton said, founder of sneakerreporter.com. "The Foamposite One was a Penny sneaker that stood out. Over the years they've redone it with just solid colors, but then when you put the Memphis Tigers branding on it with the stripes, it brings more of a personal fit."

"At the end of the day, we know how important Memphis and the Tigers are to Penny, before and into coaching," Singleton continued. "Any shoe that represents him coming back full circle is big for the sneaker world. People want to be a part of that history and that moment."

Hardaway is one of several Nike basketball players to boast his own signature shoe, including names like Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and Paul George. 

As for where Hardaway's impact on the sneaker culture stands among the biggest names in the basketball world, Singleton places the Tigers in the same lane as Kobe Bryant. 

"He has his own mystique," Singleton said. "Kobe, he had his own line too that was really big. But Kobe was a mysterious player off the court, you just know about the mamba mentality. The same thing goes with Penny, you don't know much about his personal life unless you know him."

The fascination with Hardaway as both a player and a person is part of the reason why Singleton believes the former NBA star's brand has grown so popular. 

Just last week, the Memphis basketball official Instagram account posted photos of players in the gym wearing practice jerseys with Hardaway's One Cent logo. Whenever a new pair of shoes is released, the Tigers are the first team to wear them. 

"What this does is level the playing field," Singleton said. "Mike Krzyzewski coaches USA Basketball. Oregon has Nike in their backyard. So, Penny is just pulling his cards out. It's about getting players to be comfortable in what they are wearing but also making them feel like they are a part of something special."

But as for One Cent-branded game jerseys for the Tigers, Hardaway is not so sure of that. 

"I don't think the game jerseys will change," Hardaway said. "Hopefully I can weigh on (Nike) a little bit to do that, but for now I think it will just be practice jerseys."

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