Ah yes, the sneaker that was, and may still be, ahead of its time. The Nike Air Foamposite One. The Nike Air Foamposite One saw its initial release back in 1997, and were actually debuted by someone other than Anfernee “Penny” Hardaway. Mike Bibby, then a guard in college at the University of Arizona, debuted the bold sneakers on national television during March Madness. The design was simple yet drew attention, the colors you could see from across the gym, and the one-piece upper was comprised of a material never before seen on a shoe. “Foamposite” was just that – a liquid foam that would harden into a “posite-like” material once you put in the mold you wanted for a certain sneaker. The idea was that as you were playing basketball in them the “foam” would start to heat up, due to your feet and inside the sneaker getting hotter, and eventually mold to your foot.

Although not typically used for performance basketball anymore, Nike Foamposites are still released in a plethora of colorways to this day. None, however, is more widely recognized or appreciated than the original royal blue/black colorway – dressed up in Orlando Magic colors for Penny Hardaway. Hardaway’s “1 Cent” logo can be seen on all of the heels of the Nike Air Foamposite One. Although some may think so, the Foamposite One was not actually a signature sneaker of Penny’s, he just helped endorse them. This somewhat mirrors how Kobe Bryant helped endorse the original Hyperdunk back in 2008 and even wore them on court, although they were never a signature sneaker of his. Back in the 90’s the NBA still had a few color restrictions when it came to the shoes players wore and the Foamposites were not “up to code” with the league’s standards. Apparently the shoe had too much blue in it (a primary color), and not enough of a base color (a black or a white). Nike and Penny still wanted to wear the shoes so Penny literally grabbed a sharpie and colored in lines on his royal blue Foamposites so that there would be equal amounts of blue and black. Nike even released a Foamposite “Sharpie Pack” back in 2015 commemorating this. In the years since Penny Hardaway’s playing days he has continued to sport foams in different varieties. Penny has worn numerous Foamposite One’s in the Celebrity All-Star Game during the NBA All-Star Weekend and most recently you can see the now head coach of Memphis State sporting them on the sidelines while he’s coaching his team.

With the Foamposite material leaving options for so many patterns and colorways, Nike has opened the door for pretty much any color combination on this model in recent years. From eye-popping colors, to storytelling patterns, to international inspiration – Nike has, and continues to, explore all options when it comes to the 23-year-old design. Some Foamposite One’s have garnered enormous hype, some have a more simpler, clean color scheme, while others have a cult following. Some colorways that garnish the design that was “ahead of its time”  are just better than others. We took it upon ourselves to rank the best 15 Nike Air Foamposite One colorways of all-time. The only criteria is that the colorway had to release in some capacity to the public (no samples or player exclusives). We also took into account the wearability of the colorway, the theme behind it (if there was one), and the history of it. Look below to check out the list and to see if you own any of the colorways ranked in our Top 15!

15. Nike Air Foamposite One “Pewter” (2011)

14. Nike Air Foamposite One “Cactus” (2007)

13. Nike Air Foamposite One “Shooting Stars” (2014)

12. Nike Air Foamposite One “Oregon” (2013)

11. Nike Air Foamposite One “Big Bang” (2018)

10. Nike Air Foamposite One “Chromeposite” (2015)

9. Nike Air Foamposite One “Memphis Tigers” (2019)

8. Nike Air Foamposite One “Pearlized Pink” (2012)

7. Nike Air Foamposite One “ParaNorman” (2012)

6. Nike Air Foamposite One “Anthracite” (2007)

5. Nike Air Foamposite One “Copper” (2010, 2017)

4. Nike Air Foamposite One “Metallic Red” (2012, 2017)

3. Nike Air Foamposite One “Eggplant” (2009, 2017)

2. Nike Air Foamposite One “NRG Galaxy” (2012)

1. Nike Air Foamposite One “Royal Blue” (1997, 2007, 2008 (HOH), 2011, 2017 (20th Anniversary))

Humble in personality, modest in nature, but boy does his game speak loudly. Damian Lillard, former 6th overall pick in the 2012 NBA draft, has garnered a reputation for hitting big shots in big moments. Most recently, Lillard shattered the hopes of Thunder fans just last year, when he drained a 37-foot series-ending buzzer beater in the first round of the playoffs. Lillard’s post-game celebration dogpile with his teammates instantly became a meme. Prior to that, in just his second year in the league (2013-14), Damian Lillard would hit a long-range 3-pointer to win another playoff series, this time against the Houston Rockets. That was the day Lillard put the NBA on notice. The 2012-13 NBA Rookie of the Year was just getting started.

Damian Lillard didn’t come from a “blue blood” program. He starred at Weber State – a mid-major. Even with forgoing his senior season at Weber State, Lillard still finished his college career with 1,934 points, good for second in Weber State history. Damian also finished as the No. 5 scorer in Big Sky Conference history. Throughout his time at Weber State, Damian was outfitted in Adidas apparel, uniforms, and sneakers. This could’ve improved his chances of him signing with the three stripes right form college (it definitely didn’t hurt). Damian’s counterpart, Derrick Rose, also signed with Adidas after sporting the three stripes during his lone college year at Memphis.

Damian Lillard would go onto sign with Adidas right from the jump. He was all-in with the three stripes before his rookie year even began. For the 2012-13 and 2013-14 seasons Damian would sport numerous Adidas models on-court before he got his own signature line. Lillard would sport new basketball silhouettes like the Crazylight Boost, Crazyquick, and numerous iterations from the D-Rose signature line. He would also throw it back every once in awhile with old school Adidas basketball models such as the Crazy 8 and the Top Ten 2000. In 2014 Adidas would sign Damian Lillard to a massive extension, a deal that could earn the superstar up to $100 million over a span of 10 years. Adidas officially put all their eggs in the basket on Lillard and looked to make him the future face of the brand.

Less than a year after Damian Lillard inked his massive deal with Adidas, his first signature sneaker would debut in February of 2015. The D Lillard 1’s retailed at a consumer-friendly $105 and became available in a plethora of color options. Fast forward to the 2019-20 NBA season and Damian Lillard has 6 signature sneakers under his belt. The most recent one, the Dame 6, officially released in November of 2019. Adidas has impressively kept the price point of the Dame line low, with the 6’s costing only $110 – $120. This feat is hard to do these days with a signature sneaker line, but a breath of fresh air when other brands are charging $150 – $200 for their athletes’ sneakers. Six signature sneakers in and don’t expect Damian Lillard and Adidas to slow down anytime soon. Look below to see how Lillard’s signature shoe line has evolved in the past 6 years.

Adidas D Lillard 1 (2015)

Adidas D Lillard 2 (2015)

Adidas D Lillard 2 Boost (2016)

Adidas D Lillard 2 Primeknit (2016)

Adidas D Lillard 3 (2016)

Adidas Dame 4 (2017)

Adidas Dame 5 (2019)

Adidas Dame 6 (2019)