Nike and Adidas are often the big names that are touted within the sportswear landscape. And yet many do not know that Puma has been around longer than both of them. It is that ode to history that has attracted many to the brand.
Take basketball for instance. A new crop of NBA players have signed on with the brand in the hopes of infusing their unique creativity and personality with Puma’s: Deandre Ayton, Marvin Bagley III, Michael Porter Jr., Kevin Knox. Zhaire Smith. The list also includes veterans who have been invigorated by the brand’s callback to the 90’s culture: Skylar Diggins-Smith, Danny Green, Rudy Gay, Terry Rozier.
While Puma is making a renaissance in the basketball realm, its reach is not limited to who’s on the court. The brand has ties to some of the most prominent athletes within soccer, golf, racing, track and field, and cricket.
Here are the brand’s most prominent athletes based on social following:
15. Andrew “Beef” Johnston | European Tour
Instagram Following: 272,000
Twitter Following: 171,000
Facebook Following: N/A
Total Following: 443,000
Affectionately nicknamed “Beef” from his youth days, Andrew Johnston’s lively personality has made him a hit with fans. And his deal with Puma backs that up as he leverages his social media to giveaway Puma apparel to his followers.
14. Lexi Thompson | LPGA
Instagram Following: 467,000
Twitter Following: 456,000
Facebook Following: 111,000
Total Following: 1 million
Thompson is one of the faces of the ever-growing Puma Golf line. She showcases her Puma apparel on social media both on the course and within training workouts.
13. RJ Barrett | NBA
Instagram Following: 1.3 million
Twitter Following: 174,000
Facebook Following: 30,000
Total Following: 1.5 million
Though he was selected 3rd overall by the New York Knicks during this past NBA Draft, RJ Barrett has been quite busy for the shoe brand. Aligning himself with other NBA superstars on the Puma Basketball team, Barrett has already immersed himself within the sneaker brand.
On social media, he frequently showcases how he weaves Puma apparel into his everyday look. Early on in his rookie year, he teamed up with The Players Tribune to document his journey and new endorsement deal. In fact, he even met fellow Puma superstar Jay-Z.
12. Łukasz Piszczek | Bundesliga
Facebook Following: 2 million
Instagram Following: 912,000
Twitter Following: N/A
Total Following: 2.9 million
Piszczek reps the Puma brand in turn with his club Borussia Dortmund who just so happen to utilize the brand for their kit apparel.
11. Rickie Fowler | PGA Tour
Instagram Following: 1.8 million
Twitter Following: 1.6 million
Facebook Following: 263,000
Total Following: 3.6 million
Rickie Fowler has been with the Puma brand for 11 years and counting. Concurrent deals with Farmer’s Insurance and Mercedes-Benz amongst others positions the 31 year old as a great marketer who can instantly boost a brand’s appeal. For Puma, Fowler has rocked a diverse collection of polos, pants, shoes, and hats throughout his playing career.
10. Mamadou Sakho | Premier League
Facebook Following: 2.3 million
Twitter Following: 1.3 million
Instagram Following: 1.2 million
Total Following: 4.8 million
After signing his endorsement deal in early 2019, Sakho has brought additional attention to many of their different boots. In a more personal collaboration, Spotify partnered with Puma for an episode of “Who We Be Talks“, a podcast regarding street culture. In it, a light is shine on Sakho as he tells his tale rising up from the streets of Paris to competing in the highest levels that football has to offer.
9. Demarcus Cousins | NBA
Instagram Following: 3 million
Facebook Following: 1.2 million
Twitter Following: 1.1 million
Total Following: 5.3 million
Throughout his career with the Sacramento Kings, New Orleans Pelicans, Golden State Warriors, and Los Angeles Lakers, Demarcus Cousins has been one of the NBA’s most dominant players. A perennial All-Star, he brings the same established power to Puma.
Once Nike declined to renew his contract in 2018, Cousins brought his superstar talents over to the rival brand. Early on after signing the endorsement deal, Cousins traveled home to Mobile, Alabama in an effort to provide Puma duffel bags and clothes to 100 elementary school kids.
As he is rehabbing from injury, Cousins continues to rock his designed batch of exclusive Clyde Court Disrupt shoes, an homage to Walt Frazier, while incorporating his own personal “DMC” logo within the kicks.
8. Julian Edelman | NFL
Instagram Following: 2.8 million
Twitter Following: 1.4 million
Facebook Following: 1.2 million
Total Following: 5.4 million
The Super Bowl LIII MVP is one of the most charismatic athletes on social media, combining with brands such as Nerf and Bose. For Puma, Edelman has been including in advertising spots for their sneakers as well as meeting employees in the brand’s Boston office.
7. LaMelo Ball | Basketball
Instagram Following: 5.6 million
Facebook Following: 723,000
Twitter Following: 677,000
Total Following: 7 million
One of the most hyped high school athletes of all time, the youngest of the Ball brothers recently signed a deal with Puma, completing the move away from the family-run Big Baller Brand. The Ball brothers, who signed with Roc Nation earlier this year, now have a mutual contact at Puma in Jay-Z, the brand’s creative director.
6. Kyle Kuzma | NBA
Instagram Following: 5 million
Facebook Following: 1.2 million
Twitter Following: 1 million
Total Following: 7.2 million
The Los Angeles Lakers forward signed his endorsement deal with Puma back in 2019. One of the more colorful dressing athletes in the NBA, he infuses the brand within his attire both on and off the court.
Initially aligning with Nike after being drafted, Kuzma has since sported the Clyde Hardwood sneaker for Puma while further aligning himself with the brand for a signature basketball shoe down the road.
5. Lewis Hamilton | Formula One
Instagram Following: 20.1 million
Twitter Following: 5.9 million
Facebook Following: 5.1 million
Total Following: 31.1 million
One of the greatest Formula One drivers in history, Hamilton incorporates the brand into his attire both on and off the racetrack. He even modeled Puma’s self-lacing shoes last year.
4. Usain Bolt | Track and Field
Facebook Following: 20.2 million
Instagram Following: 9.8 million
Twitter Following: 4.9 million
Total Following: 34.9 million
The undisputed fastest man in the world is no stranger to Puma.
Usain Bolt has been with the brand since 2002. During that time, his endorsement deal has paid him a handsome average of $10 million per year. The Olympics legend, Bolt leverages the brand by dressing up his newborn in Puma apparel and having his family rock his new signature line of Ralph Sampson sneakers.
3. Antoine Griezmann | La Liga
Instagram Following: 31 million
Facebook Following: 14.2 million
Twitter Following: 7.2 million
Total Following: 52.4 million
World Cup winner. A global superstar for Barcelona.
Antoine Griezmann has been with Puma for 10 years. In that time, he has ascended to the loftiest highest of the world’s most global sport. A man who is one of the most recognizable names for club and country, he carries that same standard-bearer energy into his work with the sportswear brand.
In one of the more unique custom collaborations, Puma released the “Grizi 10-year edition” football boot in honor of the 10th anniversary of his professional debut. Co-designed with Griezmann, the boot is unique to the Frenchman’s career. Illustrated through emojis, the outsole features references to his top ten life-defining moments including his professional debut, signing with Puma, the birth of his daughter, and becoming a world champion.
2. Virat Kohli | Cricket
Instagram Following: 81 million
Facebook Following: 43 million
Twitter Following: 38.4 million
Total Following: 162.4 million
Kohli is the standard for the sport of cricket both on and off the ground. Whether he is promoting a new shoe line or an entire outfit from his One8 athleisure collection, the global game pays attention.
1. Neymar | Ligue 1
Instagram Following: 142 million
Facebook Following: 64.8 million
Twitter Following: 49.6 million
Total Following: 256.4 million
The PSG and Brazil National Team footballer is a global superstar in the prime of his career. Neymar stands among the most influential people on the planet, leading to a social media and endorsement value that stand near the top of all athletes worldwide.
Puma Athlete Endorsers
Puma continues to reinvent itself by investing within athletes who do the same. Colorful designs, interactive culture experiences, and dominant athletic performance. The brand has invested in the world’s biggest stars in the hopes of finding the ones of tomorrow.
