The Clyde Court Disrupt was the first shoe that Puma Basketball released after their comeback and while it was inspired by the old-school Puma Clyde, comfortability and a modern feel were prioritized.
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Now, they’re determined to produce top-notch sneakers and comfort is their main focus so they can form long-term relationships with the athletes they sign. It certainly seems that the brand has learned from those past mistakes. Puma’s Global Director of Brand and Marketing Adam Petrick admitted as much, telling The Undefeated “the product itself wasn’t that good.” This lines up with a USA TODAY report from April 2000 that stated Carter left Puma because the shoes hurt his feet. While Puma succeeded in attracting talent back in the day, the general consensus is that they were producing mediocre shoes and that’s why many of the partnerships didn’t last long. His departure is what led to the brand shifting their focus away from basketball, beginning their two-decade hiatus. Carter, for example, was only with Puma for 16 months despite initially signing a 10-year deal worth $50 million. However, many of the partnerships were short-lived. Over the years, the brand’s roster has included Isiah Thomas, Vince Carter, Nate “Tiny” Archibald, Alex English, Ralph Sampson, Terry Cummings, Bobby Jones, Manute Bol, Cedric Ceballos, Kenny Anderson, Sam Perkins, AC Green and Buck Williams among others, as detailed by The Undefeated’s Aaron Dodson in this terrific article on Puma’s hoops history. Young fans may not realize just how many great NBA players have worn Puma shoes. How did Puma pull this off? HoopsHype talked to some of the brand’s higher-ups along with players who joined Puma to find out what went on behind the scenes of this resurgence and learn where the company plans to go from here.īefore breaking down Puma Basketball’s comeback, it’s important to understand the company’s history in this space. They also signed a number of brand ambassadors including ESPN’s Jalen Rose, Dallas Mavericks assistant coach God Shammgod and NBA trainer Chris Brickley.
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They filled out their roster with talented veterans such as Golden State’s DeMarcus Cousins, San Antonio’s Rudy Gay, Boston’s Terry Rozier, Toronto’s Danny Green and four-time WNBA All-Star Skylar Diggins-Smith. In one week, Puma Basketball went from defunct to home of the draft’s top two picks and one of the world’s biggest taste-makers. Over the course of a few days, Puma signed longtime partner Walt “Clyde” Frazier to a lifetime deal, announced that Jay-Z would be the Creative Director of Puma Basketball and signed deals with five top draft prospects: Phoenix’s Deandre Ayton (No. In the days leading up to the 2018 NBA Draft, Puma surprised everyone with several announcements that showed the world they were serious about competing with the major brands in the basketball space.
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Rather than doing so quietly, the German-founded brand turned heads by making a series of splashy moves. Last June, Puma decided to return to the basketball space after a 20-year hiatus.