After a 20 year hiatus, Puma is back on the basketball court. The notable sportswear company confirmed today the signings of top draft prospects DeAndre Ayton (Arizona), Marvin Bagley III (Duke), and Zhaire Smith (Texas Tech).
To add to that, rapper and business mogul, JAY-Z, is onboard as Puma’s president of basketball operations. When approached about the opportunity Hov stated it was something he knew he wanted to be a part of.
"We've been working with Roc Nation for quite some time. They've been great partners to us for several years. We've done many different deals with many different ambassadors,"
-Adam Petrick, Puma's global director of brand and marketing, told Complex.
JAY-Z will assist in the art direction and design of the brand, in addition, to help hand-pick players suitable for Puma’s basketball division.
"We're making a serious statement about the entry of the category, that we want to be a performance brand, but then also very culturally focused. It's clear that we're looking at basketball through the lens of culture, and thinking about the fashion of basketball, the music of basketball, all the aspects of culture around basketball as much as the on-court presence that we will have,"
Petrick added.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The worst kept secret: Puma is back in basketball. Company signing their first endorser Walt Clyde Frazier to a lifetime deal. Releasing 73 limited editions pairs at place on Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn today. New handle is <a href="https://twitter.com/PUMAHoops?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PUMAHoops</a>. <a href="https://t.co/fmbgi5B0M0">pic.twitter.com/fmbgi5B0M0</a></p>— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) <a href="https://twitter.com/darrenrovell/status/1008738226432102400?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 18, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Originally reported on Complex.
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