After inking a deal in 2018 to help the brand introduce itself in the NBA, Deandre Ayton has received a new multi-year footwear and apparel endorsement deal with Puma.
Per ESPN‘s Nick Depaula, the Phoenix Suns center is expected to slide into the league’s top three athletic brand endorsers within the center position. As such, Puma has been a part of Ayton’s sports lifestyle since childhood.
“It’s pretty lit. It’s truly a blessing as well,” Ayton said, via ESPN. “The reason I signed with Puma from the beginning, is I wanted to be different.”
“Growing up in the Bahamas, the first brand really that I wore was Puma. That’s all we saw was Puma. A guy like Usain Bolt, who I looked up to as a star of the Caribbean and the face of the Caribbean when it comes to sports, that’s the only thing that he was repping. Puma was everywhere.”
Ayton, the former No. 1 overall pick of the promising 2018 Draft, which includes fellow young talents in Luka Doncic, Trae Young, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, played a huge part in Puma’s emergence in the NBA’s map of footwear deals, as the brand also gathered several first-round players in the said pool for a partnership.
Ayton is leaning towards the creation of custom sneakers that will feature his story and honor the special people around him. Further, the agreement between the two sides is targeting charitable programs which will nourish the communities.
“We’re a giving family. Growing up, you’re not coming to my house without leaving with a full belly,” Ayton said.
The big man, along with some notable talented players such as Lamelo Ball, RJ Barrett, and Michael Porter Jr., is headlining Puma in the league and will only help the label flourish for years to come.
