Puma Will Offer Endorsement Deals to TBT Players Who Sign NBA Contracts After Tourney
Puma has had a big week.
The company signed Michael Porter Jr. in addition to Deandre Ayton, Marvin Bagley III and Zhaire Smith earlier. All four players were chosen in the first round of Thursday's NBA draft. Ayton and Bagley were the top two picks, respectively.
The company also named rapper and businessman Jay-Z its creative director of Puma Basketball.
Then Friday, Puma and The Basketball Tournament (TBT) announced a multi-year partnership making Puma the exclusive footwear and apparel partner of the tourney. But in a twist, Puma will offer an official endorsement deal to any player who competes in TBT and signs with an NBA team the following season.
Last year after TBT, 16 players signed deals with NBA teams.
"TBT is a unique concept and a perfect tournament for us to get involved with as we kick off our re-entry into basketball," Adam Petrick, Puma's global director of brand and marketing, said in a press release. "We want to shake things up within the sport, and this tournament does that and more by providing opportunities for previously unrecognized talent, and giving fans new ways to experience the game."
TBT is in its fifth season and is a $2 million, winner-take-all tournament. It runs from June 29 through Aug. 2, with games televised on ESPN.
