After staying mostly out of basketball since it signed Vince Carter in 1998, sneaker and apparel company Puma has made waves in the NBA world this summer, signing the following 2018 NBA Draft picks to shoe deals: First pick Deandre Ayton, Second Pick Marvin Bagley III, 14th pick Michael Porter Jr. and 16th pick Zhaire Smith. It also signed 31-year-old free agent Rudy Gay, and inked Walt Frazier, the brand’s original NBA endorser, to a lifetime deal. Puma even hired Jay Z to be the president of its basketball division. It’s been an NBA-centric few weeks for Puma, and it continues with a partnership deal with The Basketball Tournament. TBT announced the news, complete with a special offer for any future TBT alumni who make the NBA after the 2018 tournament:
BOSTON – June 22, 2018 – PUMA and The Basketball Tournament (TBT)– the $2 million, winner-take-all summer basketball event broadcast live on ESPN – announced today a new multi-year partnership making PUMA the exclusive footwear and apparel partner of TBT. PUMA will receive promotional rights to all TBT games, including a significant presence on-site as well during all ESPN broadcasts.
In a unique move and as part of the partnership, PUMA is offering an official endorsement deal to any player who competes in TBT and then signs on with an NBA team the following season. Following last year’s tournament, 16 players signed deals with NBA teams during the 2017-18 season.
TBT included the following Puma-sponsored jersey designs in the announcement:
TBT also announced its 2018 schedule.
