Josh Giddey on His PUMA Sneaker Tribute to Australia

How has your partnership with PUMA been over the past year?

It's been great. I was obviously with Nike for my first four or so years in the NBA, so to make that switch was a pretty big change for me. But I wore the shoes a lot before I made the decision, and I loved them first and foremost.

Then, obviously, you got to meet everybody on the team in the basketball world for the U.S. Yes, nothing but good things so far, and I'm really excited for what's ahead.

How much communication do you have with PUMA on a regular basis?

Oh, a lot, a lot. And that's one of the big reasons I started to sign with them. They were really interactive. They spoke to me a lot throughout the process, and then, especially when designing the shoe, they gave me a lot of creative input.

So that was one of the things I was really, really happy and excited about. I've always wanted to do was have my own shoes. So, to be able to be involved in that process and for them to involve me the way they did. It was really special, and it was a fun thing to be able to go through.

What was the design process like for the All-Pro NITRO 2 "Wonder" colorway?

Yeah, well, the idea behind it was the Great Barrier Reef. It's one of the natural wonders of the world, and that's kind of where the color inspiration came from. We wanted to kind of base it around something that I could tell.

I'm Australian, and we wanted to find a way to connect back to home with the shoe. And that was what we came up with, and yeah, as I said, then the next part was about figuring out colors and design, but the overall base of the shoe came from the Great Barrier Reef, and we wanted to be able to tie that back into where I'm from.

What is your favorite part of the colorway?

It's hard to pinpoint one. I think the color - I've always envisioned it. That's always been my favorite color to wear; it's been, like, a light blue. So, to be able to have that on my PE is really special, and that's something I was really excited to see how it turned out. I'm really happy with how it did.

So far, you’ve had 2 PEs. Both are inspired by Australia. What made you want to honor your home country both times?

I think it's coming from Australia; the NBA seems very far-fetched and seems like it's a long, long way away from possibility. I wanted to always where I came from, where it started for me as a young kid.

And I'm so far away from home when I'm in America, I think being able to have some connection, whether it's doing it through a shoe, my own PE was a pretty special way to do it. So, yeah, I always love representing my country, being Australian, representing them on this stage here.

Your signature logo is unlike most players' logos. It's big, and not minimalist. What went into that decision?

Yeah, kind of what you said, kind of just to be unique. It's been done, but to do something a little out of the ordinary kind of changes it up a bit. So, yeah, you kind of set it pretty well. Just want it to be a bit different and unique.

Do you follow sneaker discourse from fans during the NBA season?

Yeah, not as much anymore. I did. I used to a lot, but I kind of fazed out of the sneaker game a bit.

What shoes are you wearing casually off the court this summer?

The PUMA suede has been my number one.

Who is your favorite PUMA athlete of all time?

Whoa, good question. I think for me, I'm not going to say younger, because this guy's only a year older than me, but LaMelo Ball was the first big athlete I saw signed at PUMA.

So, when I saw him, and then obviously Tyrese (Haliburton) is with them now as well, and they're two guys I had had connections with over the years. So, to talk to them and hear all the good things they had to say about PUMA helped me.