What’s up, everybody?! It’s ya boy Legendary Lade back with another installment for “Kickin Facts!” This week, I’m writing about one of the best sneakers of all time — the Air Max Penny 1s by Anthony Hardaway. This time they got a makeover from Social Status and The Whitaker Group. If you keep up with this column, you’ll see that The Whitaker Group comes up a lot and that’s because they are behind some of the most innovative sneaker collabs of the past two years. So, if you are still not familiar, educate yourself! The results of what they were able to create — the Nike x Social Status Air Max Penny 1 “Recess” — is the perfect example of how you can update a classic while staying true to the original design.

Anthony Hardaway, a.k.a Penny, started his NBA career and partnership with Nike in 1993 and two years later, the Airmax Penny 1s arrived. Since that first release, the “Pennies” were deemed instant classics for their desirability on and off the court. For this new iteration, Hardaway wanted to update the details while keeping the sentiment of a sneaker that felt like it belonged in 1995. The result is a change in the Nike Swoosh, which isn’t gelled like the original and is also interchangeable with multiple colors, including red, yellow, distressed lime green, and even a pebbled brown. Elsewhere, the sneaker stays true to form with a primarily durabuck (synthetic leather) upper, air bubbles at the heel and the icy blue outsole, which references 90s Nike sneakers.

You can always count on The Whitaker Group to add their personal touch, and it plays out here in the form of five additional shoe laces, a script-laden insole, and a very descriptive, decorative sneaker box. A unique sneaker box is one sign of an excellent collaboration to me, as it tells the consumer the product is special.

What are your thoughts on these? The Social Status x Nike Air Max Penny 1 “Recess” in Black and Desert Sand was released July 15 for $190.