Can Josh Giddey Save Tyrese Haliburton's PUMA Sneakers?

Josh Giddey's future with the Chicago Bulls is far from certain. The notoriously cheap franchise appears at odds with Giddey over contract negotiations. Luckily for the rising star, he has already solidified his role with PUMA after signing a multi-year sneaker deal in July.

Just as Giddey is an important role player on the court, he will also be a glue guy for the PUMA Hoops division. Only three NBA players have a signature sneaker line with PUMA: LaMelo Ball, Scoot Henderson, and Tyrese Haliburton.

However, Haliburton tore his Achilles tendon during the 2025 NBA Finals. It was a crushing loss for the Indiana Pacers and PUMA. Hype surrounding the launch of the PUMA Hali 1 immediately cooled off.

Josh Giddey got his PUMA Hali 1’s 🔥 https://t.co/dX5sfTc5nz pic.twitter.com/ql2WM1LNCK
— Nice Kicks (@nicekicks) August 2, 2025

Even worse, many fans' first impression of the PUMA Hali 1 will be Haliburton suffering a career-altering injury in the shoes. It is a totally unfair situation, but that will be the challenge PUMA faces going forward.

Currently, there is no firm launch date or pricing for the PUMA Hali 1. It was originally announced to launch in September, but Haliburton's injury most likely changed the marketing plan.

But since Giddey is such a team player, he could play a pivotal role in keeping Haliburton's debut hoop shoe relevant. Yesterday, Giddey shared a picture on his Instagram story of the PUMA Hali 1 basketball shoes after an off-season workout.

The @PUMA fam just got bigger @joshgiddey pic.twitter.com/hgEEm5UwUV
— PUMA Basketball (@PUMAHoops) July 18, 2025

Giddey did not provide a caption for the Instagram story, only tagging Haliburton and including the cat emoji as a nod to the PUMA logo.

With Haliburton missing all of the 2025-26 NBA season, PUMA will need Giddey and other players on its roster to help carry the torch for Haliburton's nascent signature sneaker line.

PUMA's NBA roster is very top-heavy. After Giddey, the most popular athletes representing the brand are Michael Porter Jr., RJ Barrett, Dennis Schröder, and Mac McClung. Regardless of where Giddey plays next season, PUMA will need him to step up and carry Haliburton's signature line.

With the NBA season right around the corner, stay locked into Sports Illustrated's Kicks On SI for all your footwear news from the sports world and beyond.

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