DeAndre Ayton, the 1st overall pick in the 2018 draft, is a center from the Bahamas who played a one-and-done season with the Arizona Wildcats, where he primarily wore Nike KD X shoes on court. Following in the footsteps of Marvin Bagley III, Ayton signed a multi-year endorsement deal with Puma, a brand that made a splashy comeback to the basketball scene.
On his association with Puma, Ayton spoke bluntly about his business-minded decision. “Nike is Nike, Adidas is Adidas. I’ve played in their circuits and stuff like that, but now it’s a business. You don’t want just product. You’re not a kid anymore. You’re really trying to get bank. That’s about it.”
Those words certainly made sense at the time for Ayton. But as he’s gotten deeper into his career, which may have turned out a bit less productive than he had hoped, he’s retreated back to the comforts of Nike after Puma did not elect to renew his deal. This season, he’s most often been spotted in Kobe 6 Protros.
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