It all started in 1973, when puma au Frazier became not only Puma's first signature athlete but also the first player in basketball history to get his own sneaker. At the time, Frazier had a championship ring and was after another, averaging 21.1 points, 5.9 assists and a career-high 7.9 rebounds a game during the '72-'73 season as the All-Star point guard for the New York Knicks.Before Air Jordans, there were Puma Clydes. Frazier wanted a shoe that was wide, light and designed with sufficient puma creepers interior padding.

Puma scooped up Sampson, making him the company's highest-profile basketball signing since Frazier. But there was one problem: Puma didn't manufacture shoes in his gargantuan puma suede classic size 17. So the brand had to produce prototypes, which Sampson wore for most of his rookie year, including in the inaugural NBA Slam Dunk Contest in 1984.Sampson's exclusive prototypes, some game-worn versions of which have sold at auction over the years, turned into pairs of his own sneakers that Puma then cranked out tirelessly.

One puma sneakers ad from the mid-'80s promoted the release of " seven new Ralph Sampson signature shoes from Puma "  for real, seven at once. And, similar to Frazier, the Rockets center soon got a shoe named after him: the Puma Ralph Sampson .Sampson's contract with Puma paid him approximately $400,000 from 1984 to 1989. "Ralph received a megadeal," said Petrick. "It was the puma ignite first time a player got a significant check for an endorsement." After Sampson, a 21-year-old named Michael Jordan.

I made sure they gave me a couple extra pairs that I'd take on the road in case they got scuffed up or tore. & I felt like, OK, I'm wearing one of the baddest shoes in America." And he wasn't the only one."The Sky LX, by leaps and bounds, was the most superior performance shoe Puma ever did up until that point," Garcia said. "The polyurethane midsole, great cushioning on the ankle  it became one of those coveted sneakers.