Penny Hardaway
photo via Nike BasketballWhen: 1995-1998, 2012-Present
Shoes: Nike Air Penny I-V, Nike Air Foamposite One, Various Retro Hybrids
Did Penny Hardaway arrive during the signature sneaker boom of the mid 1990s or did he help create it? Bolstering a strong Nike Basketball roster that placed Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley and few other’s names on shoes, Anfernee saw his nickname, number and logo grace his very own signature shoe in 1995. To say the rest was history would be an understatement, as the slender, 6’7 point guard still sell shoes of his namesake even years after his retirement.
Jason Kidd
photo via Sole CollectorWhen: 1996, 2000
Shoes: Nike Air Zoom Flight V, Nike Air Zoom Kidd
To some basketball fans, Jason Kidd is the consummate point guard. A pass first floor general, Jason Kidd split co-Rookie of the Year honors with the ultra-popular Grant Hill in 1995 while he sliced defenses with his imaginative skill-set. Much like Penny, J Kidd juiced the marquee models for the Flight Camp before seeing his own name on a shoe. The Nike Air Zoom Flight V saw exactly that, placing Zoom Air beneath the fast feet of the speedy point guard and personalized logo work on his first signature. Years later when playing MVP caliber ball for New Jersey, Nike would release his second and last Swooshed signatue with the Morph Skin-sporting Nike Air Zoom Kidd. In later years, he would rock with PEAK for a stretch that would also see signatures of his namesake.
Allen Iverson
photo via The Shoe GameWhen: 1996-2015
Shoes: Reebok Question I-III, Reebok Answer 1-14
Notice a trend on this list? The majority of 1s so far all also wear the ‘big guard’ tagging. In 1996, Allen Iverson changed all that, proving players in the 6 foot and under club could sell sneakers with the best of him. Winning Rookie of the Year honors in a class that included Kobe Bryant, Ray Allen, Steve Nash and countless other stars, AI proved to be the diamond of diamonds early on in his career, setting scoring records and igniting the city of Philadelphia. If you want to read the whole spiel on how much we love Bubba Chuck click here, but just know that from the Reebok Question to the Answer VI, AI was the hottest sneaker star in the league. Believe that.
Stephon Marbury
When: 1996-1997, 2006-Present
Shoes: AND1 Marbury I & II, Starbury line
After Anderson but before Bassy, Stephon Marbury was the premier prep point guard out of New York. One of the original one-and-dones, Marbury took home Third Team All-American honors in his lone season at Georgia Tech and bounced to the pros where Milwaukee would select him and trade him on draft day to the T’Wolves for fellow future star Ray Allen. Already a household name by fans of hoops in NYC, streetball startup AND1 would sign Marbury to be their first signature athlete. The AND1 Marbury would be the brand’s first shoe on the market, with a follow-up coming in his sophomore season. Marbury eventually dipped to Nike, returned to AND1, went back to Nike and then started his price conscious Starbury line which is still sold today.
Gary Payton
When: 1998-2002
Shoes: Nike Air Zoom Flight 98 The Glove, Nike Air Zoom GP-Air Payton IV
After checking MJ in the ’96 Finals, Gary Payton’s star started to grow considerably far past the West Coast. After many successful years on the Flight Camp, Nike gifted GP with the aptly named Nike Air Zoom Flight 98 The Glove at the ripe age of 30. Following the shoe’s success, Gary got four more signature models from the Alpha Project, all very experimental in design. While The Glove has come back to rave reviews, we’re still waiting on the rest of the best from GP.
