Deandre Ayton, the projected No. 1 pick in this week's NBA draft, signed a four-year, multi-million dollar footwear and apparel endorsement deal with Puma, the company announced Monday.
For Ayton, there was plenty of interest in pursuing a shoe deal with Puma, although the brand has been out of the basketball landscape for 20 years since signing Vince Carter in 1998. Ayton shares a homeland connection to two of its biggest ambassadors, Olympic sprinter Usain Bolt and pop star Rihanna, after growing up in the Caribbean.
"Puma is pretty popular in the Bahamas," said Ayton.