New Orleans Pelicans rookie forward Zion Williamson made his long-awaited professional debut at the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas last week, throwing down several of his signature high-octane dunks before leaving the game and subsequently being ruled out for the remainder of the Summer League “season” with a bruised knee. However, the powerful forward’s off-court maneuvers had everyone buzzing just as much as his on-court theatrics: he was spotted wearing the Puma RS-X Reinvention before the game on Friday, and then was courtside in the RS-0 “Video Game” on Saturday.
Williamson has yet to sign a footwear endorsement contract, and as the most highly-touted prospect to enter the league since LeBron James, it’s been speculated that his deal will be among one of the biggest rookie agreements in history. If Williamson did indeed join Puma Hoops, he’d instantly become the face of an upstart roster that also boasts young talent like DeAndre Ayton and Marvin Bagley, plus veterans like DeMarcus Cousins. He’s already gone viral for his footwear choices before as well — albeit in an unfortunate fashion — when he suffered another knee injury, tearing through the side of his Nike PG 2.5s in a game against UNC during his short-lived college days at Duke. Nothing’s signed, sealed, and delivered yet though: when he took the court on Friday, he was wearing a reinforced pair of Nike Kyrie 4s, indicating that he’s still exploring his options. The bidding for Zion’s endorsement is sure to be fierce and the speculation will undoubtedly be ramparant, so stay tuned right here for info/updates as they’re available, and let us know what sneaker brand you think Zion’s ending up with as well.