Born July 23, 1998, Deandre Ayton is a promising power forward who got into the NBA after the Phoenix Suns selected him as their first overall pick in the 2018 draft. The Bahamian professional basketball player quickly proved his worth and earned a spot in the NBA All-Rookie First Team in 2019. Ayton was also among the three finalists for the NBA Rookie of The Year Award and participated in the Rising Star Challenge during the 2019 NBA All-Star Weekend. As a player who has been putting up impressive numbers, Deandre Ayton is starbond and has become one of the top youngsters in the NBA.
However, the professional career for the physically demanding center who stands at 7-feet 1-inch has not kicked off as smoothly as was expected. This is because, after the opener games for the 2019/2020 season, Ayton got a 25-game suspension for violating NBA’s Anti-drug/doping policies by testing positive for a diuretic. The Suns were significantly affected by this as their ‘good form season’ suffered a major hit since Deandre Ayton was one of their offensive players. However, after completing his suspension, Ayton was back to the courts breaking lots of Suns’ previous records and establishing himself as a top-tier player.
The Puma Deal marked with initial Nike appearances
Deandre Ayton signed a multimillion four-year deal with Puma, who chose to return to the NBA since they left in the late 90s, during his rookie season. Nevertheless, it took a while for the power forward to rock the courts while wearing a shoe model from the brand. This was primarily because of his large shoe size, as Ayton wears a size 18, and the brand took time to tailor the perfect shoe for him. Meanwhile, Ayton continued to lace Nikes, primarily the KD 10, while in the courts, but he always covered the logo in white tape. Finally, on October 9, 2018. Deandre Ayton debuted his Puma sneakers, and since then, he has rocked the following models:
Puma RS-Dreamer
This shoe was the result of an unusual collaboration between music and basketball, thanks to J. Cole. It is the first signature shoe for the rapper who has always loved basketball and even had dreams of going pro. As such, they factor in the demands of the game and feature a high abrasion rubber outsole, ProFoam midsole, and are made of a premium suede fabric.
Puma Clyde Hardwood
As the second high-performance basketball shoes by Puma, it was only expected for Aylton to rock these sneakers. They were quite an improvement compared to its predecessor and were made of luxurious materials, which was an extra plus. Puma got it right with the good traction of these shoes, and it manifested a seriousness to regain an influential brand position in the NBA.
Puma Clyde Court
This was the first performance shoe released by the German-based brand after choosing to take a break from the NBA in the 90s. It was quite a flashy pair as the idea was to raise as much attention as possible. As a sock bootie with an engineered knit upper that featured a springy cushioning system, it was an awesome first release by the brand.