Memphis police arrested 42-year-old Ronald James for stealing 26 pairs of Nike Foamposite shoes from the home of former Orlando Magic star Penny Hardaway last August 8th.
James was captured on CCTV walking towards Hardaway's driveway with a grocery cart and leaving the premises with boxes loaded on the cart. The footage and enhanced still shots of the man were released on social media, leading to his arrest last Thursday.
According to a police affidavit, the boxes were delivered to Penny's house between 5 pm and 7 pm on August 8th. When one of Hardaway'staff went outside to get the boxes, they were gone. The affidavit declared the boxes to have a value of $2,100.
When asked by Memphis TV station WREG, Hardaway said the boxes contained 26 pairs of 'one-of-a-kind' and 'family and friend exclusive' Nike Foamposite Ones that are not available for sale.
Exclusive shoe
Upon checking, the stolen Foams were from the SLAM x Nike Foamposite One collection, which was released last May as an F&F exclusive to commemorate SLAM's 30th anniversary. It was one of eight shoe models used to commemorate the publication's most iconic covers since its inception in 1994.
The shoes were the Nike Air Zoom Generation (SLAM#78), AND1 Tai Chi (SLAM#41), Under Armour Spawn Flotro (SLAM#173), Nike Sabrina 2 (SLAM Future Issue), Puma MB.01 (SLAM#237), Adidas Crazy Two (SLAM#15), Reebok Question Low (SLAM#32), and of course the Nike Foamposite One (SLAM#30).
SLAM#30 was released in December 1998 with then-Orlando Magic All-Star guard Hardaway on the cover. The issue's headline was 'The Revenge of the Penny' since it was Hardaway's comeback season after suffering a devastating knee injury in 1997. Meanwhile, the Foams were Penny's most iconic shoe.
Related: "We fought his system, and we didn't believe in it" - Scottie Pippen on why Bulls didn't embrace the triangle offense right away
It was supposed to be Pip's shoe
The Foamposite is one of Nike's most popular shoes. Originally designed for Scottie Pippen, the story has it that Hardaway saw it first when shoe designer Eric Avar brought a bag of prototype shoes during a meeting with Penny. When Hardaway saw the Foams inside the bag, he immediately fell in love with them and claimed them.
"They brought a lot of different sneakers. You know, they usually have these makeups, and I saw the sneaker in there, and I was like, 'What is this?' and he was like, 'This is a Foamposite.' 'Oh, this is dope; I would rock this.' They like, 'You serious?' I was like, 'Yes,' and the rest is history," said Penny.
Although Arizona guard Mike Bibby was the first to wear the shoe in competition, the Foa3mposite eventually became part of Hardaway's Nike shoe line. It has been proven several times since Penny's retirement and is still a popular item among sneakerheads. It's unclear whether the man who stole the boxes from Penny's house understood what the shoes represented. Still, they're undoubtedly worth more than the $2,100 declared value. It is also unclear if all 26 pairs have been recovered.
Related: He meant so much to the city” - Darrell Armstrong on why Penny Hardaway deserves to get his jersey retired in Orlando
Local Memphis, TN
Most Popular
Comments / 0