Josh Giddey revealed a special player edition of the Puma All-Pro Nitro II, called the 'Golden Wattle.'
On October 31st, Josh Giddey debuted a special player edition of the Puma All-Pro Nitro II, called the 'Golden Wattle.' The shoe is a bright gold/yellow version of the Puma All-Pro Nitro II with pink and white accents on the shoe upper and near the toe area.
The 6-foot-8 Australian guard put on a hell of a promotion for the shoe with his play on Halloween night, the evening he debuted the shoes. That game, Giddey led the Chicago Bulls to a win behind a 32-point, 10-rebound double-double, finishing one assist shy of a triple double.
At the time of this writing, it still stands as his only 30-point performance of the season, leading CHSN's K.C. Johnson to remark postgame, "Is it the shoes?"
TikTok · 🇦🇺Ballers From Down Under
9010 likes, 66 comments. “🇦🇺 It's Gotta Be the Shoes?! 👟🏀 Josh Giddey Career Night in His First Game Wearing His 1st Signature Shoe! 32 Points, 10 Rebounds, 9 Assists and 0 Turnovers! #ItsGottaBeTheShoes #JoshGiddey #NBACup2025 #ChicagoBulls”
Giddey isi having a marvelous season in light of the team's struggles. Through 21 games, he is averaging 20.3 points, 9.5 rebounds, 8.9 assists, 1.0 steals per game, and is shooting 39.6% from 3-point range, all career-highs. Giddey remarked that he had a "four-year deal" with PUMA, meaning we are likely to see alternate versions of the Golden Wattle later, or at least a proper release.
The shoe is called the Golden Wattle because it reflects on Giddey's Australian heritage (wattle is Australia's national floral emblem).
With Giddey having arguably the best individual season of his career, he and PUMA could not have chosen a better time to start pushing promotion of the Golden Wattles. I fully expect the shoe to be a success, which brings me to the question:
Who is the next player on the Bulls to receive a signature sneaker?
Most would probably wager on Coby White, who has essentially had several "breakout years" in a row at this stage of his career. He signed a deal with Adidas coming out of North Carolina, but has worn several different brands throughout his career.
My guess?
Chicago-native and current Reebok signee Matas Buzelis. Yes, it is true that Buzelis--who is currently going through and up-and-down-sophomore season--has a lot more work to do before he has the resume of the typical players you associate with signature shoes, but Buzelis has two very important things working in his favor: popularity in a big city, and a brand that is still in search of the modern face of the company.
Buzelis is currently locked into a multi-year deal with Reebok, and is a key figure in the relaunch of Reebok's performance basketball line. He wears the Reebok Engine A shoe, perhaps the exact shoe that could eventually see a "Buzelis-themed" version down the line.
As long as Buzelis continues to exude joy off the court, while throwing down vicious dunks on it, he seems like the safest bet to be the next Chicago Bulls with a signature shoe.
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