After a nearly two-decade hiatus, PUMA and the NBA have announced a new multi-year marketing agreement between the German apparel giants and the world’s premier basketball league. Through this partnership, PUMA will have access to NBA uniforms and team logos to curate authentic and original content that will allow better storytelling of the company and their athletes.
PUMA’s decision to become an official league partner comes on the heels of the brand’s aggressive offseason signing of top rookies before the 2018 NBA Draft. Grabbing talents like the first overall pick Deandre Ayton of the Suns, Marvin Bagley, picked second by Sacramento, Zhaire Smith, and Michael Porter Jr, picked 16th and 10th respectively.
“We are thrilled to partner with the NBA to bring PUMA to the next level in our reentry to the basketball market,” said Adam Petrick, Global Director of Brand and Marketing at PUMA. “This partnership is a testament to the continued resurgence of PUMA within the basketball industry.”
Stacking their roster for the future, PUMA mixes in established players like Demarcus Cousins and Terry Rozier to roll out their signature products. The ‘Clyde Court Disrupt,’ unveiled earlier this season was their first signature shoe since re-entering the basketball shoe market with the highly anticipated ‘Uproar Charlotte’ to be released ahead of All-Star Weekend. The new model highlights the style of this generation, while also paying tribute to Charlotte’s basketball roots. The sleek design showcases colors from the city’s past and present and offers premium sneaker technology for top-notch performance. PUMA plans to roll out more variations of basketball sneakers throughout 2019.
PUMA is committed to building a brand that captures the personality of the basketball universe, creating products that mix performance with “athleisure” and expanding their reach with today’s announcement of signing social media influencer and Instagram coach Chris Brickley via ESPN. Both PUMA and the NBA are excited on the opportunity this deal presents, and as fans, we get the reap the rewards of consumer centric products, as well as new ways to interact with our favorite athletes that feel more genuine than traditional partnerships.
“PUMA played an important part in the early footwear culture of the NBA,” said Dan Rossomondo, NBA Senior Vice President, Media and Business Development. “As PUMA expands its presence in the basketball market with new player relationships and a new line of basketball sneakers, becoming an official footwear partner of the league was a natural next step to help amplify the brand’s return to the category.”