Puma has been aggressive in their return to the basketball sneaker game, signing the top-two picks in the 2018 NBA Draft to give them some star power from the jump. With Deandre Ayton and Marvin Bagley III on board, Puma was betting on being able to crack the code of having big men as the focal point of a sneaker brand.
That’s always been a tricky proposition, as big men have different needs out of a shoe than the typical person, and sometimes that leads to a disconnect with the market. We’ll see how that plays out, but on Thursday Puma finally added a veteran guard to their roster as they signed Celtics point guard Terry Rozier to team Puma.
Rozier announced his decision in an interview with Bleacher Report as he leaves Nike to join Puma. As Rozier explained he was never “with” Nike, he just wore them and joining Puma he has an opportunity to be the guy and really be at the top of the brand’s pecking order.
At least, that’s what he’s expecting.
“Me signing with Puma is basically letting you know, I’m taking over the Puma world. You got guys taking over Adidas, you got guys taking over Nike, whatever. I’m competing with the Puma world and I’m taking over that s–t. From the jump. That’s my whole thing. I feel like I’m going to turn it up because—I ain’t gonna knock nobody on Puma, but I feel like I’m very marketable, I’m the guy that they needed to sign.”
Rozier is definitely not lacking self-confidence in his ability to be a top star for a brand, and that mindset is likely what drew Puma to him. He’s a young, rising star in the league and will give Puma a presence on what’s expected to be the top team in the East. Whether Rozier stays past this year or leaves in free agency in 2019, he’ll be looking to continue to expand his role and reach and wants to lead Puma into being one of the league’s top sneaker brands.
