Sneaker Spotlight: Rudy Gay goes Nike

Isn’t Rudy a Puma guy? Then what’s with the Nike’s?

Rudy Gay broke out this sweet pair of Kyrie IV PEs last night for Throwback Night at the AT&T Center and it confirmed something that I noticed a few weeks back, but never confirmed, which is that Rudy isn’t loyal to the sneaker brand that he signed a contract with. That brand, as you may know, is Puma.

Gay, along with a host of other players that includes former Spur and fan favorite Danny Green, signed on with Puma over the summer. Most famous for the Puma Clyde, the signature shoe of Knicks legend Walt Clyde Frazier, Puma has made a conscious effort to get back into the basketball market, and for much of October and November, Rudy wore their flagship model, the Puma Clyde Court Disrupt.

I first saw Rudy wearing Nike this year in practice pictures the team shared on their Instagram account. I didn’t think much of it at the time, figuring it was a comfort thing in what is generally a relatively private setting. After all, I remember when James Harden got his mega-deal with Adidas, but was caught on camera still rocking Nike gear. However, the Nike’s have found their way on to the court during game-time as well, and they’ve been here for awhile.

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Rudy broke out these Kobe’s earlier this month in Salt Lake City during the game against the Jazz. The switch to Nike goes even further back, as this snap from the game on November 23rd against the Pacers shows.

Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

While I’m not privy to the restrictions in Gay’s sneaker contract, I would think that Puma cannot be happy that a player that they have signed to a deal is wearing anything but their product and has been for nearly a month. Maybe more details will come out soon, but for now, just enjoy the slick style and dope colorways of #22 while he does stuff like this to people for the Silver and Black:

Source: Pounding The Rock