Don’t look now, but Puma is back.

Providence Friars legend and ball-handling maestro God Shammgod will be releasing his own signature shoe with Puma.  The Dallas Mavericks assistant coach is one of many new recent Puma ambassadors, along with Jalen Rose, Jay-Z, Clint Frazier, and NBA trainer Chris Brickley.

Puma has also recently went on a signing spree of young NBA stars, hoping that one of their new representatives will be the next guy to explode.  Their roster includes the following NBA players:

DeMarcus Cousins

Rudy Gay

Terry Rozier

Danny Green

DeAndre Ayton

Marvin Bagley III

Kevin Knox

Michael Porter Jr.

Zhaire Smith

Skylar Diggins-Smith

In fact, Hoops Hype has a great in-depth article on the resurgence of Puma as a whole and their push to compete alongside the likes of Nike, Adidas, and Under Armor.  There’s also a even more detailed article about Puma’s early years from Aaron Dodson that also deserves some of your time if you are so inclined.

From the Hoops Hype article, Shammgod had some great things to say about the company.

“It’s amazing to be part of a brand that has an activist side. That’s a big reason why I wanted to partner with them. This summer, I’m hosting a tournament that’s all about preventing gun violence. I have another tournament called ‘God Loves Harlem’ to uplift my community. It’s all about giving back. Helping people and communities, that’s what Puma is about.”

“I’ll have my own shoe coming out with Puma – the Shammgod shoe – so I’m just very excited.  I think the people who watched me when they were growing up are going to be very excited and happy with the product.”

“They’ll eventually get to that level by doing the right things and continuing to take care of the people.  It’s the people who drive the brands. At the rate we’re going, people are going to see the things that we’re doing and see that it’s bigger than selling sneakers.”

Now, I can’t say that I’ve been doing any hooping as of late, but I might have to just snag me a pair of The Shammgod Shoe when it comes out. You know, support the Friars alums.