Police Charge Man With Theft of Shoes From Memphis Coach Penny Hardaway's House

Patrick Andres | Aug 22, 2024

Memphis men’s basketball coach Penny Hardaway speaks with players and Memphis staff after a press conference where Memphis’ new athletic director, Ed Scott, was introduced at the Laurie-Walton Family Basketball Center in Memphis, Tenn., on Friday, June 28, 2024. / Chris Day/The Commercial Appeal / USA TODAY NETWORK

Police in Memphis have made an arrest in a shoe theft caught on camera at the home of Memphis men's basketball coach Penny Hardaway, they told ESPN's Myron Medcalf on Thursday afternoon.

Per a department spokesman, 42-year-old Ronald James has been apprehended and charged with property theft.

WREG-TV, Memphis's CBS affiliate, contacted Hardaway Tuesday asking for comment on the Aug. 8 theft. Hardaway revealed that the shoes taken were 26 one-of-a-kind pairs of Nike Foamposite shoes—"family and friend exclusive" shoes that would not hit the market.

Hardaway, 53, is entering his seventh season as the Tigers' coach. He has steered the school to two NCAA tournaments and an American tournament championship in 2023.

The Memphis native played for the school from 1992 to '93, garnering All-America honors in the latter season. He went on to a decorated (and lucrative) NBA career with the Orlando Magic and three other teams, for whom he made four All-Star and three All-NBA squads.