While Bagley hasn’t seen the same on-court success as Ayton, his deal also pushed Puma into the spotlight. While it seemed unorthodox, the Bahamian loved the brand growing up due to its association with Usain Bolt. The number one overall draft pick broke the mold by going with the company, and set a new precedent that didn’t exist before he came into the NBA.Īt just 19, Ayton signed a four-year non-disclosed million dollar deal. While all of the above five signings helped push Puma forward, the largest one was easily DeAndre Ayton. They got a foothold in the NBA, and one they have only improved on since.
#Rudy gay puma shoes professional
Signing five NBA rookies in one draft turned Puma from a fringe shoe company to a much more serious professional brand in one fell swoop. That showed they were in it for the long haul. Not only that, but they locked up all five of the players to multi-year deals. That year, they signed DeAndre Ayton (Suns), Marvin Bagley (Kings), Kevin Knox (Knicks), Zhaire Smith (76ers), and Michael Porter Jr (Nuggets). That’s not something completely unheard of, but it marked a big change for the brand that led to instant success within the NBA. In 2018, rather than going after big names or more established players, Puma targeted rookies. They did it by completely changing their strategy. That year, Puma went from having no big athletes to many big names.
While they had some success here and there, they just couldn’t quite break in. They stayed that way for the 2000’s and most of the 2010’s. They tried to break onto the professional basketball scene during the early 2000’s, but quickly lost their athletes to the other big shoe companies everyone knows. Anyone familiar with shoes or the NBA knows that Puma, while big, is not a household name.