Puma is elevating New York Knicks forward RJ Barrett's status in the NBA by giving him a player-exclusive (PE) shoe, the Puma Fusion Nitro RJ.
Barrett averaged 20 points per game last season and is poised to increase his production this year.
Puma signed Barrett to a multi-year sneaker deal in 2018.
While the 22-year-old Barrett has yet to earn a signature sneaker line, having a player-exclusive, which is a colorway of an existing shoe, is the next best thing in the footwear world.
The left shoe is red and white, which pays tribute to Barrett's Candian heritage. The right shoe is blue and white, a nod to his time at Duke.
To further personalize the shoes, Puma put No. 9 and a Maple leaf on the tongues of the shoes. Of course, the No. 9 is Barrett's uniform number for the Knicks, while the Maple Leaf is another wink to Canada. Playing on his nickname, “Maple Mamba” is embroidered on the inside of the tongue. The phrase "Made Different" is on the sock lining.
A performance basketball shoe called the Puma Fusion Nitro debuted in 2021. Puma has reinvented the Fusion Nitro over the past year in numerous colorways while keeping the technology built into the sneaker the same.
Barrett's player-exclusive shoes are currently being sold on Puma's website for $150.


South Korea’s Weak Won Struggles as Retail Investors Pour Money Into U.S. Stocks
Trump Booed at Club World Cup Final, Praises Pele as Soccer’s GOAT
Gold Prices Slide Below $5,000 as Strong Dollar and Central Bank Outlook Weigh on Metals
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang Says AI Investment Boom Is Just Beginning as NVDA Shares Surge
Trump's Transgender Sports Ban Faces Enforcement Challenges
Silver Prices Plunge in Asian Trade as Dollar Strength Triggers Fresh Precious Metals Sell-Off
Amazon Stock Rebounds After Earnings as $200B Capex Plan Sparks AI Spending Debate
Global PC Makers Eye Chinese Memory Chip Suppliers Amid Ongoing Supply Crunch
NBA Returns to China with Alibaba Partnership and Historic Macau Games
Trump Endorses Japan’s Sanae Takaichi Ahead of Crucial Election Amid Market and China Tensions
Sony Q3 Profit Jumps on Gaming and Image Sensors, Full-Year Outlook Raised
OpenAI Expands Enterprise AI Strategy With Major Hiring Push Ahead of New Business Offering
Native American Groups Slam Trump’s Call to Restore Redskins Name
Dow Hits 50,000 as U.S. Stocks Stage Strong Rebound Amid AI Volatility
Russian Stocks End Mixed as MOEX Index Closes Flat Amid Commodity Strength
Once Upon a Farm Raises Nearly $198 Million in IPO, Valued at Over $724 Million
Vietnam’s Trade Surplus With US Jumps as Exports Surge and China Imports Hit Record 



