At the time of the announcement, Stewart's deal with Puma made her the first WNBA player in over 10 years to have a signature shoe deal, and the first-ever player, WNBA or NBA, to have such a deal with the German company.
She follows the likes of Sheryl Swoopes and Candace Parker, who had signature shoe deals with Nike and Adidas respectively, in achieving this feat.
The multi-year deal comes with the freedom for her to create her own cleat. Speaking to ESPN’s Nick DePaula, she talked about already thinking of ideas on how her signature cleats would look.
“[It is] definitely going to be a low top,” she said, while also revealing her ideas to have cushions for the Achilles and making her shoe eco-friendly with ‘cool colorways.’ She also hoped that she could help create a ‘dope shoe’ that everyone, basketball and non-basketball people alike, would like.
Fans will, however, have to wait one more season to get their hands on the shoe. Over the next 12 to 18 months, Stewart will contribute to developing designs and the shoe itself from scratch.
The 2020 WNBA Finals MVP also spoke about the respect she felt Puma showed in giving her such a big deal. “There haven’t been many. ... For Puma to be able to put the signature element out there, [and] respect me enough where they think that I deserve a signature shoe, is something that’s super exciting.” she noted.
Stewart expressed that she hoped she could ‘make up for lost time.’ referring to the last time any such deal happened and that her success could create a domino effect in the signature deal scene in the WNBA.
