Long dormant in the basketball space with aspirations of re-entering the mounting sector, New Balance is making headlines today as new reports indicate they have a few potential signees in mind.
The foremost, Boston Celtics star Gordon Hayward, is at the top of the list for the Cambridge-based brand. Following a short stint with Chinese sportswear company Peak during his sophomore season, Hayward has spent much of his professional career endorsed by Nike. This fall, his Nike contract will expire, and several brands including New Balance will jockey for his services.
New Balance, interestingly enough considering they’ve been removed from the hoops space for a lengthy period, has a bit of leverage where Hayward is concerned. That leverage spans 70,000 square feet, as the Celtics new state-of-the-art training facility Auerbach Center is located at New Balance world headquarters.
It’s also reported that New Balance would like to gain the services of Philadelphia 76ers big man Joel Embiid who has an expiring contract with adidas. New Balance hopes the dominant center and social media star can shine alongside Hayward in its relaunched hoops sector.
New Balance is thought to relaunch its basketball division in fall 2019.
Update 2/14: New Balance and Kawhi Leonard are teasing the much-anticipated debut New Balance Basketball sneaker. The clip states that the shoe will be revealed during NBA All-Star Weekend.
Kawhi. NB Hoops. We Got Now.
(oh yeah, sneaker debut at #NBAAllStar) pic.twitter.com/UGRbLKjPgC
— New Balance Basketball (@nbhoops) February 14, 2019
