Puma announces LaFrancé lifestyle sneaker: How much does the LaMelo Ball shoe cost?

On Friday Puma released the first images of a new pair of lifestyle shoes, the latest part of their ongoing partnership with NBA star LaMelo Ball.

The Charlotte Hornets point guard is one of the most marketable young stars in the sport and signed a $100 million deal with Puma back in 2021, while he was still in college.

In recent years Puma have released three basketball-specific sneakers for Ball, from the MB .01 to the MB .03. The new offering is something a little different, a lifestyle shoe and part of a collaboration with Ball’s fashion brand LaFrancé.

The shoes will debut in the all-red ‘Amour’ colourway, with Ball’s ‘1 of 1′ motto and his tattoos featuring prominently in the design. On the underside of the shoes, the names ‘Puma’ and ‘LaFrancé' can be seen.

Puma x LaMelo Ball shoes: Price, release date

The latest offering from the partnership between Puma and LaMelo Ball has not yet been released but fans will not have to wait long to get their hands on the distinctive sneakers. They are set to go on sale on Friday, 17 May and will be available to buy direct from Puma.

The sportswear giants have not yet confirmed the price but SneakerNews reports that they will have a retail price of $120.

Puma are making a real play to return to the basketball market after previously dropping out of the sport entirely. In the early days of NBA Puma was a major player, providing footwear for the likes of Wilt Chamberlain and finding real success with the Puma Clyde in the 1970s.

The brand retreated from the market in the late 1990s but made a surprise comeback in 2018, appointing Jay-Z as the creative director for the resurgent basketball division. The first athletes signed were a quartet of young NBA hopefuls, Marvin Bagley III, Deandre Ayton, Zhaire Smith, and Michael Porter Jr. That pattern continued with Ball in 2021 and the NBA star is already the centrepiece of Puma’s basketball offering.