JAY-Z’s business poker face is a mean one.
Just mere days after springing his Beyonce-duet album EVERYTHING IS LOVE onto the world without prior warning, the Roc Nation mogul is now working with Puma as President Of Basketball Operations as a creative consultant, Complex has learned.
[UPDATE: Other reports name JAY-Z as Creative Director.]
And the brand has already beefed up their roster by signing on top NBA prospects Duke’s Marvin Bagley III, Texas Tech’s Zhaire Smith and Arizona’s DeAndre Ayton, the latter who is pretty much a shoe-in to be picked first in the upcoming 2018 NBA Draft by the Phoenix Suns.
“We’ve been working with Roc Nation for quite some time. They’ve been great partners to us for several years. We’ve done many different deals with many different ambassadors,” Adam Petrick, Puma’s global director of brand and marketing, relayed to Complex. When Puma approached him about this opportunity, JAY-Z felt it “was something he wanted to be a part of,” according to Petrick.
Jigga — who was a minority owner of the Brooklyn Nets up unto 2013 — will reportedly handle selecting more top talent in Puma’s basketball division, artistic vision and brand direction. “What’s important to him on a day like today is that it’s clear we’re making a serious push with players like Bagley and Ayton and Smith,” Petrick continued. “We’re making a serious statement about the entry of the category, that we want to be a performance brand, but then also very culturally focused. It’s clear that we’re looking at basketball through the lens of culture, and thinking about the fashion of basketball, the music of basketball, all the aspects of culture around basketball as much as the on court presence that we will have.” [apple_news_ad type=”standard”] Check out the latest hardware from Puma down below, which includes the re-release of Walt Clyde Frazier sneakers. Top NBA draft prospects Deandre Ayton and Marvin Bagley III sign with Puma
I love the push puma is making but putting Jay in charge of basketball operation is a mistake
I’m sure it’ll go the same way his boxing promotion is going… terrible.
It depends on how you look at it. Probably won’t be terrible if they use the same business model as everybody else. Give Jay Z a high-profile job. Put president in front of his name. Get millions of black people excited like yeah, see I told you Jay Z just made another power move, he’s the man! Then quietly part ways after you get millions and millions of dollars worth of free publicity from his name just for paying him a salary and he gets to walk around and still look like he’s the boss making all these creative moves. Then it won’t be a failure to them. He’s the perfect industry puppet, and so many people think he’s this great entrepreneur. Dame and Biggs wanted to really own things like Master P. He just signs deals (gets jobs) and gets put out front and looks like he owns things.
And your “LIQUID” net worth is …Don’t worry I’ll wait . PS, Google the liquid part . LMAO
The truth hurts doesn’t it “peasant.” That’s why your automatic response was to question my worth. That’s irrelevant and you would say I was lying if I answered. Facts are facts. The article we’re commenting on is about Jay-Z.
beyonce look like she bout to snap
I wonder how many more players he might have signed up in the next month if he hadn’t just dropped that corny project with Bey
How can he be a shoe-in to be picked second by the Suns when they pick first?
Isn’t it a conflict of interest for him to have
Roc nation sports and being able to sign players to shoe deals???
Great move by puma to get Ayton and Bagley, but Jay Z is not a good look. The issues is old white guys in suits for puma think that young black kids think jay z is like super cool to them, they don’t. They just see him as a old rapper that’s married to Bey. Jay was working with Reebok how did that work, yea they went out of business and then got bought by addidas.
You’re stupid for this post. Jay is the reason they signed dummy.
Get real, why couldn’t he get anyone to sign to brooklyn nets, why can’t he get any major NBA stars to sign with Roc nation sports. Those guys signing had nothing to do with Jay at all.
I have never rocked PUMA before but since King Hov is working on them, and YOU ALL KNOW I suck Hov’s nutsack dry. Ima cop a pair today!
PAUSE