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As Converse, Nike, Adidas and Reebok starred on court from the 1970s to the early 2000s, Puma placed its products on the feet of Hall of Famers and world champions, even once persuading a scoring titleholder to come on board. They’ve joined the Puma basketball family, which has a deeper and more tantalizing history than most would imagine. More players are wearing Pumas on the court than at any other time in NBA history. JAY-Z pictured with his new Puma jet "N444 SC" at Teterboro Airport, New Jersey en route to DC. It’s a loaded roster: five of the first 16 picks in the 2018 NBA draft, including the top two selections two grizzled NBA veterans a four-time WNBA All-Star a 6-foot-11 monster of a big man who made a major comeback from a gruesome injury and a brash backup point guard playing in Beantown, who signed to the brand with a point-blank proclamation: “ I ain’t f-in’ with nobody else but Puma.” Skylar Diggins-Smith, Deandre Ayton, Marvin Bagley III, DeMarcus Cousins, Rudy Gay, Danny Green, Kevin Knox, Michael Porter Jr., Terry Rozier and Zhaire Smith. There’s also now a new generation of Puma hoopers serving as ambassadors for the relaunch. “Jay-Z is a savvy business partner who understands how the market works … He’s also extraordinarily knowledgeable about the culture surrounding the has a strong social media presence, its own private jet and a fresh new on-court sneaker, the Clyde Court Disrupt, inspired by true Puma icon Walt “Clyde” Frazier, who now has a lifetime deal with the company he joined in the early 1970s. He’s now the global director of brand and marketing. “I couldn’t ask for a better partner in building the vision for what we’re doing,” said Adam Petrick, who’s been with Puma since 1999, when he joined the company as web content manager. The ongoing NBA season marks Puma’s return to the sport for the first time in nearly two decades - and things are off to a good start, with Jay-Z as creative director of the rejuvenated basketball division. Thirty years later, the brand is again striving for basketball relevancy. … I was killing ’em in those shoes.” Thomas’ time with Puma is part of an almost forgotten history: storied yet short-lived, the partnership lasting just one season.ġ985: A closeup of the Houston Rockets Ralph Sampson’s sneakers during the NBA game in Houston, Texas. “My fondest memories are winning a championship in them and pouring that champagne on my head. “I won a lot of games in my Pumas,” Thomas said. They’re also the shoes Thomas wore when he was named MVP of the 1990 NBA Finals after the Pistons beat the Portland Trail Blazers to claim back-to-back titles. He rocked Puma’s basketball shoes on the court and on life-size cardboard cutouts. That’s right - Thomas, the leader of Detroit’s “Bad Boys” era and one of the NBA’s 50 Greatest Players of all time, was once endorsed by the German sportswear company. “Keepsakes,” said Thomas, now 57, of the kicks in his closet from the 1989-90 season. But they certainly remind him of the pinnacle of his playing days, and a bold chance he took with a footwear brand trying to make its mark in basketball. The retired Detroit Pistons Hall of Famer hasn’t laced up the sneakers in what seems like forever. Isiah Thomas still has some old pairs tucked away at his house.