NBA star DeMarcus Cousins went through four seasons of change over the last year. After being traded to the New Orleans Pelicans, he suffered a season-ending achilles injury, leaving him sidelined for an indefinite yet prolonged period of time. The following Summer, he accepted a one-year discount deal with the Golden State Warriors and moved on from Nike, signing a multi-year partnership with the upstart Puma Hoops division. A recent ad posted on the Puma Hoops Instagram has some rather incendiary messaging, stating “That wouldn’t have happened in the Pumas”, suggesting the Swoosh had some responsibility for Boogie’s ailment. Despite the provocative tone, it’s just the nature of social media days – only outright trolling will get any sort of attention.
Despite his All-Star performance on court, DeMarcus Cousins was never considered a candidate to get a signature shoe during his time at Nike. He favored the Nike LeBron Soldier line and wore various PE styles of the Air Max Dominate and the Hyperrev 2017, the latter being the shoe worn during the injury. Throughout the history of the NBA, serious injuries occur as a freak of nature, and occur in almost every sneaker brand out there. To say it wouldn’t happen in Puma is quite the reach, especially considering some of their star signings have had issues with their own Clyde Court Disrupt. Do you think Puma went too far with this ad? Let us know in the comments.
