Lakers Star Kyle Kuzma May Be Close to Leaving Nike for Puma Shoe Deal
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Puma is reportedly close to landing the Los Angeles Lakers’ star Kyle Kuzma as the brand’s newest endorser.
NBA Insider Marc Stein tweeted that Kuzma’s current endorsement partner, Nike, is not expected to match Puma’s proposed multiyear deal, which was rumored to be offered earlier in September. If Kuzma does end up inking a deal with Puma, he will be joining fellow Lakers Danny Green and DeMarcus Cousins as brand ambassadors for Puma.
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All signs point to Nike declining to match Puma's lucrative multi-year offer to the Lakers' Kyle Kuzma reported here Sept. 10 … lining up Puma to soon unveil Kuzma as its latest star endorser. @PUMAHoops declined comment when reached.
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) September 24, 2019
Hearing some buzz from the shoe game since arriving in China: Puma is closing in on a deal to sign the Lakers’ Kyle Kuzma .. who was forced to withdraw from Team USA last month with an ankle injury
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) September 11, 2019
In July 2017, Kuzma’s impressive performance at the NBA’s Summer League helped him land his first sneaker deal with the Swoosh. Since signing, Kuzma has been prominently featured on some of the more recent releases with Nike Basketball, including with the power-lacing Adapt BB sneaker as well as Undefeated’s Nike Kobe 4 Protro collection.
Excited to be apart of the @nikebasketball family #Swoosh pic.twitter.com/qL47MGvsFC
— kuz (@kylekuzma) July 20, 2017
Kuzma’s reported signing with Puma won’t be the brand’s only acquisition this year for its hoops department. In August, the brand announced its deal with the New York Knicks’ R.J. Barrett, who was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft. After 20 years outside of basketball, Puma announced its re-entry to the sport in June 2018 with the help of Jay-Z, who was named the Puma’s president of basketball operations; NBA legend Walt “Clyde” Frazier scored a lifetime deal.
FN reached out to Puma about Kuzma’s rumored deal but the company declined to comment at this time.
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