After signing an abundance of notable players from the 2018 NBA Draft, it’s clear that Puma has made a big splash in its return to basketball
Despite being eclipsed by Nike, Under Armour, and Adidas in recent years, Puma has officially returned to prominence in the basketball world, following the 2018 NBA Draft.
The shoe brand secured an abundance of young players with star potential, after signing the top two picks, DeAndre Ayton and Marvin Bagley III. Both big men had rare 20 and 10 seasons in college basketball and are considered promising up and coming rookies.
Additionally, Puma also signed Forward Michael Porter Jr., who has as much offensive potential as any other player in this draft class and fell to the Denver Nuggets at 14. This could provide for a significant story in terms of marketing if he blossoms into a star, similar to Stephen Curry’s rise as an underdog after being drafted 7th overall.
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Furthermore, Puma also added Zhaire Smith, an athletic young guard looking to make a name for himself. They even managed to get Rudy Gay, a veteran who has had success in the league year in year out.
Marvin Bagley III noted:
"“I chose Puma because I wanted to be different. I saw an opportunity where I could come in and build from the jump and work to get to a certain level. I saw myself doing that. They have some real nice stuff. I’m very excited about it, and I can’t wait to get to know everybody, keep working with everybody and keep improving.”"
No. 1 overall pick Deandre Ayton said that Puma was the best option for him when the offers came rolling in.
"“We just thought Puma was the right fit…Another thing is that all these other brands got all these other superstars. It’s good that I’m one of the few that’s signed with Puma.”"
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This signifies the return of Puma to the basketball scene and may attract an increasing number of young NBA players and future superstars alike to the multinational shoe brand. This could just be the beginning for a new Puma wave set to hit the NBA.