The most recent colorway of a Nike classic may be the best one yet.
by Chris O’Leary/@olearychris
I’ve tried my hardest to stay away from Foamposites.
The shoe that Penny Hardaway (and to a lesser extent, Arizona Wildcat Mike Bibby) made famous has always been undeniably breathtaking. In my mind, it’s one of those shoes that goes beyond footwear and becomes symbolic of a basketball time frame. In its own way, it’s art.
The thing about art (even the sneaker kind) is that it gets expensive. The Foamposite was never cheap, pushing up on $200 when it first dropped back in 1997. So fast forward 14 years and think about the glut of Foamposite sneaks that are out there. I pity the ‘head who feels like he has to have every one of them. Or even every third one of them.
I do have love for the shoe, and I did shell out cash last year for a pair of the copper Foams that dropped right around All-Star. In my head, I know that this is where it needs to stop. I can’t let the Foamposite become like a Jordan XI, XIII or XIV thing for me. My head tells me that, but my sneaker-loving heart has been screaming something else at me in the last few months.
I’ve managed to sit through the release of the eggplant Foams, the Krypto-Nate-friendly electric greens and even those royal blue Foams that Penny and Bibby rocked back in the day. I’ll have to try and think about other things this Saturday when the metallic pewter makeup release as well.
Last night, though, I came across something that could put me on cloud nine and force my bank to sound off a Chris-what-are-you-doing-you’re-running-out-of-money alarm.
One look at these black and electric green Foams and all I could picture was holding them above my head in a moment of celebration not unlike when Will gave Carlton his chicktionary on The Fresh Prince of Bel Air. “I can feel it! I can feel the power!”
It feels like there’s been a full spectrum of Foamposite colorways over the years, but this one, as simple as it is, might be my all-time favorite. The CO 2011 sneaker budget isn’t a pretty one. Actually it’s a one-sneaker budget, with the purchase being made in time for the holiday season (I’ll give you XI guesses as to what it is). I can feel myself slipping into a dangerous realm here and short of actual, real life self restraint, there’s nothing I can do to stop it.
Pics via CounterKicks, via RMKstore.
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