Puma signs Ayton, names Jay-Z president of basketball division

1 overall draft pick
DeAndre Ayton to an endorsement deal.

Ayton, who is considered the favorite to be the Phoenix Suns' choice with the
first overall pick in Thursday's draft, said part of the company's appeal to
him was its presence in the Caribbean, where Puma-signed stars Usain Bolt
(Jamaica) and Rihanna (Barbados) are from, and where Ayton (Bahamas) was born
and lived until age 12.

"Puma is pretty popular in the Bahamas," Ayton said, per ESPN. "I've always
seen the brand growing up. is one of the first people I saw with the
brand. It's important to me that someone I identify with and admire as an
athlete is with the same brand.

"...As I've been in the States, I've seen what they do with entertainers and
always liked that. I see someone like Rihanna recently -- who is a lot like
me, we have a similar background -- and she's putting her stamp on the brand.
That's something that appeals to me from a creative side. Eventually I want to
be a part of bringing this new style of Puma to my people."

The news of Ayton's signing comes three days before the 2018 NBA Draft kicks
off in Brooklyn, a few days after fellow top prospects Marvin Bagley III and
Zhaire Smith signed with Puma, and on the same day that the company announced
rapper and business mogul Jay-Z as its new president.

Jay-Z, who founded the agency Roc Nation in 2013, is expected to play a major
role in marketing and pursuing players as future endorsers.

Puma's sudden commitment to basketball is its first action in the sport since
it signed Vince Carter to a 10-year deal in 1998, though that deal lasted only
two years. The company also re-signed perhaps its most famous basketball
player from past decades, Walt "Clyde" Frazier, to a lifetime contract earlier
this week and launched a modernized version of Frazier's old shoe from 1973.

"We're making a serious statement about the entry of the category, that we
want to be a performance brand, but then also very culturally focused," Adam
Petrick, the company's global director of brand and marketing, told Complex.

Bagley and Smith have each signed multi-year shoe deals with Puma, and the
company is expected to pursue other top prospects as well as established NBA
players after inking Ayton.

Bagley is considered a likely top-three pick on Thursday, while Smith could be
a lottery selection.

--Field Level Media