As cliché as it is to say, high school hoops sensation Mikey Williams is in a class of his own.
So, last October, when the now recently turned 18-year-old inked a deal with PUMA, he became the first American high schooler to sign with a global footwear company. The sentiment wasn’t just solidified—it was written in stone.
“When my family and I made the decision to join PUMA, we knew that PUMA had been in the game a long time,” Williams tells SLAM. “I just wanted to be with a brand that was going to let me be myself, take my input, help me perform on the court, and I wanted a chance to be different and do things differently.”
Signing on to a roster loaded with bucket-getters and larger than life figures—like two-time WNBA champion Breanna Stewart and Charlotte Hornets Rookie of the Year LaMelo Ball—not only felt like the right move for Mikey’s journey en route to the League (he becomes eligible for the NBA Draft in 2024), but it also allowed him to remain unapologetically himself.
“Hard work pays off, and staying in the lab and working on my game is the most important thing,” Williams says. “Staying true to who I am created this opportunity, and I want to encourage other young kids to do the same. At times the road is hard, but the rewards can be worth it.”
Nine months removed from that historic announcement, those rewards are being realized, as Mikey took an official visit to the University of Kansas in June. This summer, however, his premium is coming by way of spearheading PUMA’s latest innovation for the hardwood, the TRC Blaze Court, which just hit Hibbett Sports this summer.
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