New York Knicks: Kevin Knox signed with Puma, innovation awaits
By Sam Friedman
The New York Knicks are sort of part of Puma as it continues to rise up the basketball ranks through the 2018 NBA draft class. Kevin Knox adds to the running total of NBA players signing with the brand.
On Tuesday, Kevin Knox appeared on First Take, with Stephen A. Smith. On set, Knox wore a blazer, and a T-shirt underneath. On the same T-Shirt was a massive Puma logo, hinting that Knox had some affiliation with the brand.
As expected, later that evening Shams Charania of The Athletic, revealed that Knox has signed a multi-year contract with Puma.
Puma stays hot with their sixth big signing of the off-season. Before Knox, Puma landed Terry Rozier , Marvin Bagley III, Deandre Ayton, Zhaire Smith , and Michael Porter Jr.
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On top of these signings, Puma granted Walt Frazier a lifetime contract with the brand.
Puma has never been a basketball centered brand, but are truly making their mark on the industry.
Outside of basketball, Puma’s success has come from a number of areas. They have celebrities from The Weeknd, Rihanna, Selena Gomez and more
The brands diversity spans almost every major sporting league in the world. The biggest cash cow for Puma however is from soccer.
Luis Suarez, Antoine Griezmann Sergio Aguero and Romelu Lukaku, all sport Puma boots on the pitch. These soccer giants are some of the biggest stars on the planet.
Puma is blatantly trying to capitalize on the NBA market, which is constantly growing.
The league is so forward thinking about innovation (sponsors on jerseys) and international recognition (almost every NBA star goes a promotional tour in China every summer), that they had to make a name for themselves.
By targeting the rookies in the draft class, Puma has a a launching pad for the future. They also have the formula for success already built into their brand.
Lets go back to 2008 when Kobe Bryant had just released the Nike Kobe Zoom IV. These are the low-top, Mamba shoes that everyone knows and loves. These shoes were initially based on soccer cleats.
Growing up around soccer, Kobe had a fondness for the “beautiful game.” When designing his sneakers, he took aspects of the soccer boot, into his basketball sneakers. He may not have been the first to wear low top shoes, but he definitely made it popular.
Through tons of research, Kobe learned that the low top shoes actually help to prevent injuries. Puma, one of the premier soccer brands, should definitely implement these practices into their signature shoes. Especially for Kevin Knox’s eventual signature shoe.
Next. VC is next Nets great to go to Hall. dark
The innovation of Puma is basketball has immense potential to be brilliant. It is only fitting that they have Kevin Knox on board considering how much potential Knox has as well.