After a 20 year hiatus, Puma is aggressively committing to its re-launching efforts to get back into the basketball sneaker game. Not only have the Puma conglomerate signed likely first-round draft picks Deandre Ayton, Marvin Bagley III and Zhaire Smith to multiyear endorsement deals, they’ve also hired Jay Z as the creative director. Last but not least, Puma inked a lifetime contract with New York Knicks legend Clyde Frazier in a surprise announcement. Adam Petrick, Global Director of Brand and Marketing said, “He led his team to the championship that year in impressive style both on and off the court. He represented the elite in on-court play.” Frazier said of the honor 45 years later, “Now I sit back when I see Jordan, LeBron, Kobe all these [players] with their shoes — I can just smile knowing I’m the guy who started it.”
