k i c k s t a r t m o n d a y s: n i k e a i r p e n n y I I ...

During this week's session of Kickstart Mondays, we feature another iconic shoe from Nike's Golden Era of the 90's. This week, we'll be showcasing the beloved Nike Air Penny II which was originally released back in 1996 and sported by one of the greatest guards to play the game (* before his injuries of course), "Penny" Hardaway.

The Nike Air Penny II is probably one of the most iconic/memorable shoe's Penny wore while he played for the Magic during the 90's. This sneaker which featured a foam like midsole and Zoom Air technology in the heal was one the best basketball sneakers (style wise) to be released by Nike. The Nike Air Penny II was released during the height of Penny's career and was further elevated into sneaker history when Nike decided to adopt a similar marketing campaign as one of their other popular basketball lines. Most people may not remember the days that Penny donned the Magic jersey but anyone who has an affinity for sneakers will remember the memorable commercials Nike released for this product line. At the time the sneakers were marketed with the voice of an up and coming comedian by the name of Chris Rock serving as Penny's counterpart named Lil'Penny. Very similar to the Mike and Spike campaigns, the Penny and Rock duo put out some memorable commercials which added to the success of the sneakers. Not to sell the sneakers short but the ad campaigns were the things that made the Nike Air Penny II the sneaker to have on the court.

To the joy of many sneakerheads who couldn't get a pair when they first released, Nike blessed us with a plethora of retros during 2008 and 2009 of the Nike Air Penny II. True to the OG's released back in 1996, Nike released all three OG colourways (the Atlantics were a Ltd. Quickstrike) and four additional colourways (Heats, Coppers, Triple Blacks and Black/Silver). As a common trend to many of these posts, I wasn't able to cop a pair when they first released but I was fortunate to grab a pair for a steal when the retros dropped.

Can anyone remember the Lil'Penny and Tyra commercials? I do!