Memphis police have now found the suspect, who swiped more than a couple dozen exclusive NIKE "Foamposite" sneakers from four-time NBA champion, and current college basketball coach, Penny Hardaway.
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Police arrested a suspect Thursday in the theft of exclusive shoes from the home of Memphis men's basketball coach Penny Hardaway. https://t.co/gKWpaZoZ3O
— ESPN (@espn) August 22, 2024
Ever since Hardaway reported that the delivered packages piled up in front of his $4.25 million residence were taken, the police had been investigating.
Earlier this month, local Memphis news station WREG reached out to Hardaway, who said that the stolen goods included "one-of-a-kind" Foamposites that weren't gonna be sold in stores, so he was eager to find out who took his signature shoes.
That is to say, the police released the man's image, in hopes that someone from the public would be able to inform them if they recognized the culprit. To note, the photo showed a tattooed man wearing a black tank top and sunglasses, pushing around a cart of boxes, which seemingly appeared to be the boxes of shoes that were taken from the former NBA player.
With this in mind, the shoe burglar couldn't hide, as he has been caught red-handed. The police have arrested 42-year-old Ronald James in connection with the crime.
26 pairs of rare Nike shoes stolen from Penny Hardaway's home.
The suspect, Ronald James, was spotted on security cameras taking the boxes from the front porch.
The suspect is now in custody. pic.twitter.com/QiB5LU433o
— Sneaker News (@SneakerNews) August 22, 2024
For those who don't know, the Nike Foamposite shoes were Hardaway's signature shoe when he played for the Orlando Magic back in the 1990's, and they have been popular ever since.
A living masterpiece worn by a living legend. Penny Hardaway’s iconic Nike Foamposite submits its entry to the SLAM 30th Anniversary Sneaker Collection. https://t.co/krpNmHXxM8 pic.twitter.com/zqF8RavRzx
— SLAM Kicks (@SLAMKicks) May 14, 2024
To point out, Hardaway was not the only college coach who was the victim of a burglary recently, as it has just been reported that St. John's basketball coach, Rick Pitino, had his office burglarized by two men on Tuesday, which resulted in him losing nearly $400 in memorabilia.
Related: Rick Pitino Is Pissed His Expensive Wine Was Stolen
