First Impression: Nike Air Penny I (1) Retro

The Air Jordan Project has been interesting so far and while I love each signature Air Jordan in their own way, it’s the Nike Air Penny series that has me the most intrigued.

Anfernee ‘Penny’ Hardway has – in my opinion – the best overall short-lived signature series of any professional athlete. Not only that but he is also the only retired athlete to have his signature line resurrected in such a way that the brand – Nike – has decided to continue the series with the Air Penny V after a 14 year hiatus.

With that being said… let The Air Penny Project begin…

Traction – The traction surface doesn’t look too appealing from a performance standpoint, however, the early Air Jordan models featured similar flat-surfaced outsoles that performed surprisingly well – especially on dusty & debris filled floors. At this point I won’t say that this pattern can’t work but I will say that the minimal flex the overall shoe has to offer may play a factor in allowing the pattern to hold onto the floor… they do look ideal for outdoor play so that is a plus for those who hoop outdoors.

Cushion – Full length Phylon midsole coupled with an older style 180 Air unit & forefoot Zoom… this is going to be much easier on my knees than the early Air Jordan’s. One thing to note is the 180 unit used to be a 180 Max Air unit which were much thicker and had more volume to them. Nike – for whatever reason – slimmed down the Air unit’s featured on their Retro products so it may not give the same feeling as it once had. The Air Penny I also requires some break-in time as far as cushion is concerned so once that is taken care of they should be pretty comfortable.

Material – The originals and early Retro featured nubuck. I don’t know what this material is but it’s definitely not anywhere near as nice as the previous versions. While the upper itself may not need much time to break in, the midsole and lateral ‘wing’ will reduce the shoes ability to flex naturally so that could pose a slight problem with transition.

Fit – I chose to go down ½ a size with these… an 8.5 instead of my usual size 9. The size 9 felt too loose in the heel and these fit like a glove after going down a bit but the length is still a bit short so I hope my toes survive. Even after a size reduction the heel still doesn’t seem to want to lock into place so hopefully that won’t be a huge mishap.

Ventilation – Simply put… there isn’t any. The tongue is moderately thin and the material is fairly breathable so that’s all the ventilation they offer.

Support – I’m not sure if these have an internal midfoot support bar – I probably should have checked – but your support on the Penny I will most likely be provided by the build and molded midsole. The Lateral ‘wing’ will support the foot a bit as well so that is something to consider.

As usual, I’m excited to play in these – never have before so this is going to be a first – but I also can’t wait to get to the 2, 3 & 4… and let’s not forget about the Foamposite One!

Stay tuned for updates and Performance Teasers.