



Puma is back in the basketball sneaker game for the first time in 20 years, having signed Deandre Ayton, Marvin Bagley III, and Zhaire Smith from this year’s draft class, potentially giving them the top two picks and a trio of lottery picks as they jumpstart their basketball business once again.

Along with that trio of draft picks, Puma added Jay-Z as a creative consultant (not president, as was first reported), which gives them even more cache as both a basketball brand and lifestyle brand. The question for most was what their sneakers would look like, as we haven’t seen a Puma basketball shoe since 1998 and, obviously, a lot have changed since then.

On Wednesday, we got our answer in the form of the “Clyde Court,” which pays homage to the old school Clyde’s released in 1973 that became an iconic part of Puma’s line, while also adding some upgrades in terms of performance.



First look at the Puma Clyde Court. The brand’s first basketball shoe in two decades. Features a knit construction and “1973” as a nod to the original Clyde pic.twitter.com/bEE07zVALC — B/R Kicks (@brkicks) June 20, 2018

Another look — the new Puma Clyde Court. Deandre Ayton, Marvin Bagley III, Michael Porter Jr & Zhaire Smith are on board. Ayton has been playing in them since last month, and told me:

“I’m excited to get a feel for them. When I first tried them, they were simple and smooth.“ pic.twitter.com/F4B4lNmCaV — Nick DePaula (@NickDePaula) June 20, 2018

The silhouette is almost like that of the LeBron XV low, with the sock bootie construction along with the knit upper. There appears to be plenty of cushioning in the sole, as well, and really how much folks like this sneaker will come down to how much they like the classic look of the Clydes.

It will be interesting to see where Puma goes from here, but the Clyde Court certainly follows the trends in basketball sneakers with cushioned soles, knit uppers, and a bootie style to hold the foot in place. The Clyde Court will hit stores on October 1 for $120, which falls on the slightly lower price point of basketball sneakers on the market.