Tag: Puma

LaMelo Ball officially introduced as latest PUMA Basketball athlete

On Wednesday morning, PUMA officially announced LaMelo Ball as the latest athlete to sign with the brand via a handful of social media videos.

After reportedly agreeing to a deal in late August, LaMelo Ball was officially announced as a PUMA Basketball athlete on Wednesday through social media. Both Ball and PUMA posted the same video to their respective Twitter accounts to announce his arrival.

Through Nick DePaula, ESPN’s shoe reporter, Ball released a quote on joining the brand over remaining with Big Baller Brand.

“I personally chose a different path to achieve my success because that defines who I am. I know some people think I am mysterious or ‘not from here,’ and I might have to agree. I am someone who likes to be different & consider myself to be 1 of 1.”

Puma’s Director of Brand Adam Petrick also gave a statement through DePaula on signing LaMelo Ball

“We are thrilled to add him to our roster of talented athletes and at just 19 years old, we can’t wait to see his impact on the broader culture surrounding basketball.”

Per DePaula, the first Ball gear with PUMA will drop on Nov. 18, which is not coincidentally the date of the 2020 NBA Draft.

Ball joins a growing list of PUMA athletes that includes soccer superstar Neymar as well basketball athletes Kyle Kuzma, RJ Barrett and Michael Porter, Jr., among others.

LaMelo Ball’s trip to Boston for Puma meeting, not workout with Celtics

After a slew of reports indicated LaMelo Ball was in Boston for a Celtics workout, it was confirmed Ball was in Boston for a Puma meeting.

In the modern age of social media, one small picture can lead to an avalanche of rumors, reports and sources. On Wednesday, LaMelo Ball was spotted at the Ritz hotel in Boston by a basketball fan. A picture, a supposed quote from Ball and a story later and Ball was in Boston for a Celtics pre-draft workout.

At the time, the uncertainty of the dates surrounding the pre-draft process and a report from Forbes’ Chris Grenham seemed to confirm the reasoning behind Ball behind in New England.

As The Athletic’s Shams Charania and Yahoo Sports’ Chris Haynes began reporting details on the dates of the pre-draft process, which included a Sep. 28 date for prospects to arrive in NBA markets for medicals, Ball being in Boston made a little less sense.

DraftExpress’ Jonathan Givony cleared up the confusion on Wednesday evening by confirming Ball was in Boston, but not for a Celtics workout.

Ball had reportedly joined Puma in late August. Though there wasn’t any official confirmation yet from Puma, Ball seemed to confirm the move himself on Instagram.

Given Thursday’s decision on dates for the pre-draft process, Ball could soon return to Boston for a medical for the Celtics ahead of the 2020 NBA Draft but, for now, that isn’t the case.

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LaMelo Ball confirms joining of Puma on Instagram

LaMelo Ball and older brother Lonzo effectively confirmed that the younger brother would be joining Puma on Instagram on Friday.

Late in August, LaMelo Ball agreed to a deal with Puma, according to a report from The Athletic’s Shams Charania. However, after the report came out on Aug. 26, there has been no further update on the reported agreement.

On Friday, LaMelo and Lonzo Ball Ball appeared to have indirectly confirmed that LaMelo had signed with the shoe brand. Bleacher Report posted a graphic to their page of Puma’s growing roster of talent which included LaMelo along with Neymar, Kyle Kuzma, J. Cole.

Lonzo, who has not yet joined his brother on a deal with Puma, shared that picture to his Instagram story and though he did not add a comment, it would effectively confirm that LaMelo joined the brand.

If that wasn’t enough confirmation, though, LaMelo confirmed it himself by commenting on the original photo on Instagram.

While this doesn’t serve as an official confirmation, it’s everything but. Neither Lonzo nor LaMelo refuted the idea that Melo would be joining Puma. And as shown by the graphic from Bleacher Report itself, it’s a talented cast of athletes he’s joining.

Super Mario has a new Puma shoe and it looks as ridiculous as you’d think

Word? Word.

Puma is collecting video game characters on their sneaker roster like Thanos collected the Infinity Stones.

First, they landed Sonic right before the Sonic The Hedgehog movie dropped a few years ago. Now, apparently, they’ve bagged Super Mario.

In celebrating the virtual plumber’s 35th anniversary as Nintendo’s premier flagship, Puma is dropping a new RS-Dreamer J Cole sneaker in a Super Mario Nintendo colorway.

And, yes, if you’re keeping tabs on how many collaborations that it’s, it’s J Cole x Super Mario x Puma. Wait a sec. Isn’t this supposed to be a basketball sneaker?

Anyway, it looks absolutely ridiculous. Would I still wear it? Absolutely. This is incredible.

This feels like a collaboration for the sake of collaborating, but it’s still fun! Even if it is a weird mashup. Maybe there’s some Super Mario DLC for the Super Mario 3D All-Stars game coming up where he gets to wear these? Probably wishful thinking.

Either way, this is dope. My only question is who is up next for Puma? I’m putting my money on Donkey Kong or Mega Man.

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LaVar Ball discusses LaMelo Ball joining Puma: ‘You’re always going to be affiliated with Big Baller Brand’

After LaMelo Ball pulled off a surprise move to Puma, father LaVar opened up on his youngest son leaving Big Baller Brand.

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LaMelo Ball pulled off a surprising move last week by leaving Big Baller Brand to join Puma. As one of the top sneaker free agents on the market, Ball likely commanded an impressive figure in inking his deal with Puma.

But given both how little buzz there was about Ball taking offers from brands and his connection with Big Baller Brand, the news was entirely unexpected. LaVar, the outspoken founder of BBB and the father of the Ball boys, has long been stubborn in his approach to working with other brands, memorably putting the starting price for a family shoe deal at $1 billion.

LaVar joined Complex’s Full Size Run to talk a host of things, including his thoughts on LaMelo joining Puma.

“That’s not a thing where I’m like ‘Hey man, don’t sign with Puma. Don’t do this. I’m just letting ya’ll know I’m here for ya’ll. So, when this thing don’t go the way you want it, your MB1 stuff is still over here for ya’ll. G3 is still over here, ZO2 stuff is still over here with Big Baller Brand because we’re a family brand.’ Those are representations that me and my wife had for our boys and that’s always going to be that. And it’s not a big deal with you doing other things. It’s ok. But you’re always going to be affiliated with Big Baller Brand no matter what.”

In hindsight, and even in the moment, it’s not surprising that LaMelo left Big Baller Brand. He had grown distant from the brand even prior to the Alan Foster allegations that forced the company to reset. Despite receiving a signature shoe that likely was the smoking gun in his NCAA ineligibility, LaMelo hardly ever seemed committed to the brand.

It’s nice to see LaVar, then, taking a step back from his stubborn public stance. Instead of issuing some form of an ultimatum, allowing the Big Baller Brand to live on without him as a fallback plan offers some form of security. And by not closing off the brand, it could even open up the possibility for a potential collaboration between Puma and Big Baller Brand in the future.

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Will Lonzo Ball follow LaMelo Ball in leaving Big Baller Brand for Puma?

LaMelo Ball’s decision to sign with Puma could be the beginning of the end for Big Baller Brand with Lonzo Ball potentially following.

LaMelo Ball made waves on Wednesday morning with his surprise decision to join Puma. While his relationship with Big Baller Brand had been virtually non-existent in more than a year, there was no suggestion of LaMelo looking at companies and brands to sign with.

The move ends what was long a tumultuous relationship with the brand. While Big Baller Brand was responsible for the original MB1s, those shoes never had the hype of either of Lonzo Ball’s shoes and were the only signature shoe created for the youngest Ball sibling.

Given the marketing around the MB1 and LaMelo – the shoe making him the youngest player with a signature sneaker – it appears in hindsight that the shoe was more of a publicity stunt than a genuine attempt at building a brand.

There has been no official word that Wednesday’s move means Ball is no longer associated with Big Baller Brand. But any form of a connection between the two brands certainly would have been newsworthy from the jump.

LaMelo’s move leaves the question now of whether Lonzo will follow suit. While his relationship with the company hasn’t been as contentious, like LaMelo, his association with Big Baller Brand has been distant at best.

Many may point to the lyric in Lonzo’s latest album also sign that he’s committed to the brand. But Ball admitted in an interview with Ronnie 2K of NBA2K fame that most of the songs were written in 2018, pre-dating the Alan Foster situation that drove a wedge in the family business.

Since then, neither Ball brother has been spotted in much Big Baller Brand apparel. LaMelo spent much of his season in Illawarra wearing Kevin Durant’s signature shoe while Lonzo played his entire season in New Orleans wearing Kobes.

Lonzo’s sneaker future, then, is almost entirely up in the air. He’s stated that Kobes are his favorite shoe to play in. In the aftermath of the Foster situation, he made waves himself with a picture similar to Nike ads on his Instagram.

The connection with Lonzo and LeBron James will always come up, and James is a long-time, and lifetime,  Nike athlete. Whether Nike is interested in signing Ball, though, is another story.

While Roc Nation and Puma have a connection, there is no exclusive connection between the two. Kyrie Irving is one of Roc Nation’s top clients and one of Nike’s most popular athletes. The company’s most famous football athlete, JuJu Smith-Schuster, is an Adidas athlete.

Lonzo wasn’t privy to the same type of meetings LaMelo took during the NBA season. Given how long the pandemic played out, Lonzo could have taken meetings with shoe companies during the break.

Without any rumors whatsoever, it’s little more than blind guessing as to where Lonzo will wind up. But LaMelo’s move may have foretold a grim future for the state of Big Baller Brand.

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Puma needs LaMelo Ball more than LaMelo Ball needs Puma

LaMelo would be their most popular athlete immediately.

Puma hasn’t had the greatest run in the NBA so far since returning to the court in 2017.

They started off with a bang — they signed Deandre Ayton and Marvin Bagley to deals to announce their return. Signing the first two picks in an NBA draft is a coup — that’s normally territory reserved for Nike. But Puma did it.

Since then? Crickets. They’ve built up a roster of respectable players — names like Marcus Smart, Rudy Gay, RJ Barrett and Danny Green are along for the ride.

But no one has broken through just yet. They don’t have a star, and that’s what every sneaker brand in the NBA needs to achieve the maximum amount of success. A superstar.

And that’s why it’s imperative that they get this LaMelo Ball deal done, as reported.

Ball is on the verge of finalizing a deal with Puma, per The Athletic’s Shams Charania. Details aren’t yet available on the deal, but it seems to be close.

Ball is exactly the jolt that Puma needs. He’s coming in with a foundation that has already been built out. He immediately becomes Puma’s headliner. He’s their signature athlete.

They’re starving for a good basketball player. They need a face. Nike has LeBron James. Adidas has James Harden. Under Armour has Stephen Curry. Even New Balance has Kawhi Leonard.

Puma has… J Cole? He’s the only Puma signee with a signature basketball shoe right now. A rapper is currently their only signature athlete.

And, look, J Cole is cool. That’s totally fine. They should build something around J Cole — he’s a great entertainer. And sneaker franchise can be built around entertainers. Just look at Nike and Travis Scott or Yeezy with Kanye West.

But those two are used to push lifestyle and fashion for their companies. J Cole literally has a signature shoe NBA players play in. He’s their signature athlete on the court. That should never be the case.

LaMelo Ball could change that immediately. He finally gives them the face in the NBA. He’s already had a signature shoe — albeit a failed one. But he’s got a team that knows the ropes a bit.  Puma hasn’t had anything close to that.

It might mean giving him a signature shoe from the jump, but they need to land Ball. It might mean partnering with Big Baller Brand in some capacity. It might mean giving LaVar Ball some type of title at the company.

But if that’s what has to be done to land LaMelo as a potential top pick, Puma has to do it. It’s an opportunity they can’t really afford to miss.

Unless, of course, the Pistons actually sign J Cole. Then all bets are off.

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Report: LaMelo Ball finalizing endorsement deal with Puma, leaves Big Baller Brand

LaMelo Ball is reportedly finalizing an endorsement deal to join Puma, leaving Big Baller Brand ahead of the 2020 NBA Draft.

Projected top prospect in the 2020 NBA Draft LaMelo Ball is reportedly finalizing a deal with Puma, according to a report from The Athletic’s Shams Charania on Wednesday. The move also signals the end of Ball’s involvement with Big Baller Brand.

There does remain a possibility that Big Baller Brand is absorbed into Puma in some capacity but there have been no indications of that happening yet.

Puma has stepped up its footprint in the basketball scene in recent years, signing the likes of Marvin Bagley, RJ Barrett and DeAndre Ayton ahead of previous drafts. DeMarcus Cousins, Kyle Kuzma and Danny Green are also signed to the brand.

The move isn’t entirely an out of the blue, though there were no official rumors of Ball and Puma prior to Wednesday. However, the connection between Roc Nation Sports, which the family signed with during the pandemic lockdown, and Puma made this deal a forecastable one.

Roc Nation Sports founder Jay-Z also holds a position within Puma’s basketball department. Ball met with Roc Nation Sports on Jay-Z’s private jet in March with some speculating that it could be part of a future Puma deal.

As recently as April, reports still indicated Ball was “wide open” on shoe endorsements. LaVar Ball hinted at a potential Puma-Big Baller Brand collaboration that added more fuel to the fire.

Most recently, Ball’s comments on Big Baller Brand for his recent ESPN piece likely indicated that he was leaving the brand in hindsight.

Where the rest of the family, particularly Lonzo Ball, goes from here remains to be seen. Lonzo had a recent lyric in his new album that indicated he was with the brand, but he also admitted in an interview that those songs were written in 2018, before the Alan Foster situation.