Puma is by no means a basketball brand, but the sports apparel giant is signing players with the same aggressiveness of an NBA team with robust cap space. After reportedly partnering with incoming NBA rookies like Michael Porter Jr., Deandre Ayton, and Marvin Bagley III, Puma has added a veteran to their fold in the form of San Antonio Spurs forward Rudy Gay, per Bleacher Report.
Breaking: Roc Nation athlete @RudyGay has signed a shoe deal with Puma pic.twitter.com/bXB6FnAjdW
— B/R Kicks (@brkicks) June 20, 2018
Puma is taking what seems to be a proactive approach in announcing that they are back in the NBA. Prior to this year, the last time an NBA athlete partnered with Puma was 20 years ago when they signed a young Vince Carter to a lucrative deal.
Puma’s signing spree comes at the heels of rapper and business mogul Jay-Z being hired by the company to be its creative director.
As for Rudy Gay, the athletic swingman recently decided not to pick up his option with the San Antonio Spurs worth $8.8 million, setting himself up for free agency this summer.
In one season with the Spurs, Gay had one of his worst campaigns of his NBA career. He averaged only 11.5 points to go with 5.1 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 21.6 minutes per game in San Antonio. By declining his option with the Spurs, Gay is gambling on the possibility of getting a bigger deal in free agency.
Gay is being represented by Jay-Z’s Roc Nation.
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