Puma placed its products on puma au the feet of Hall of Famers and world champions, even once persuading a scoring titleholder to come on board. Pumas have graced the hardwood of high school showcases, college games and NBA Slam Dunk Contests. Deals were inked with everyone from the NBA's tallest player ever to a high-flying phenom from the University of North Carolina who the company hoped would change its basketball fate.

It all started in 1973, when Frazier became not only Puma's puma creepers first signature athlete but also the first player in basketball history to get his own sneaker. At the time, Frazier had a championship ring and was after puma suede classic another, averaging 21.1 points, 5.9 assists and a career-high 7.9 rebounds a game during the '72-'73 season as the All-Star point guard for the New York Knicks.Before Air Jordans, there were Puma Clydes. Frazier wanted a shoe that was wide, light and designed with sufficient interior padding.

New York City's Sneaker Culture: 1960-1987 puma sneakers . "I came across some archival photos of Rucker Park in '71 and '72 and saw players wearing Pumas competitively on the biggest stage of the world outdoors at that point."Frazier catapulted Puma onto the world's biggest basketball stages indoors, wearing Clydes when he and Willis Reed led the New York Knicks to a championship over Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry West puma ignite and the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1973 NBA Finals.

With a strong product and perfect placement, Puma began to experience a basketball renaissance. "I'm playing alongside Jordan, who's getting fined every game for wearing his shoes & ," Matthews said. "He's getting a lot of publicity & so I figured Puma would get a lot of publicity and the brand would take off."Matthews was right  English, Sampson and Milwaukee Bucks power forward Terry Cummings appeared in the 1985 All-Star Game, all wearing Pumas. Sampson was named the MVP with a game-high 24 points and 10 rebounds.