LaMelo Ball is expected to be a top pick in November’s NBA Draft, but he is wasting no time putting down roots in the apparel and sneaker industry. Ball is now officially a Puma athlete, the company announced Wednesday.
Under the partnership, Ball will work with PUMA to develop products that exist at the intersection of sports, culture, and fashion. The first release will be a PUMA x LaMelo Ball t-shirt and hoodie that is set to debut in the run-up to the draft on Nov. 18. Ball’s collection will come out under PUMA’s “Not from Here” creative concept, which Ball hopes will highlight his “one of one” path to the pros, which ran from California to Lithuania to Ohio to Australia.
“I am really excited to join the PUMA family,” Ball said in a statement. “I believe the brand is the perfect partner for me because PUMA will allow me to just be myself. I want to be 100-percent authentic, whether that’s playing basketball or showing off my personal style, and that’s what I want to do with PUMA.”
Ball will also partner with Puma on various charity programs centered on giving young people the opportunity to play basketball at a high level. The much-hyped play-maker joins a young roster of Puma athletes in the NBA that includes Kyle Kuzma, Michael Porter Jr., Deandre Ayton, and Marvin Bagley, as well as Skylar Diggins-Smith and Jackie Young in the WNBA.
