Puma: history, sport, and sneaker culture
Puma was founded in 1948 in Herzogenaurach, Germany, following the professional split between brothers Rudolf and Adolf Dassler.
Rudolf Dassler founded his own company, and the Puma brand was officially born the same year.
From its origins, the brand built its identity around sport, moving from football to athletics, tennis to running, and finally to basketball.
Over the decades, this sporting history has progressively converged with fashion, music, and streetwear, transforming numerous performance-based shoes into true lifestyle sneakers.
Within ResellZone’s Sneakers selection, Puma perfectly represents this meeting of sporting heritage and contemporary culture.
The Puma Formstrip
One of the most recognizable elements of Puma sneakers is the Formstrip.
The lateral detail was patented in 1958 and was initially created for a functional purpose related to foot stability within the shoe.
Over the years, however, it has primarily become one of the brand's most recognizable visual elements.
The Formstrip has spanned numerous generations of Puma footwear and remains one of the markers that allow for the immediate identification of the brand, even on very different silhouettes.
Puma and basketball
The relationship between Puma and basketball has historical roots.
In the seventies, the brand worked with Walt “Clyde” Frazier of the New York Knicks, giving rise to the Puma Clyde.
The sneaker became one of the first major examples of an intersection between a basketball shoe and an athlete's personal style off the court.
Many years later, this relationship between sport and culture became central to the Puma Basketball strategy once again.
The return of Puma Basketball
In 2018, Puma officially returned to basketball after an absence of nearly two decades.
The project was not built exclusively around performance: fashion, music, and culture were integrated from the start into the new identity of Puma Hoops.
One of the first silhouettes of the return was the Clyde Court Disrupt, a direct reference to the historic Puma Clyde.
In subsequent years, the brand developed new performance shoes and signed NBA athletes, paving the way for one of the most recognizable collaborations in its recent history: the one with LaMelo Ball.
Puma x LaMelo Ball
The partnership between Puma and LaMelo Ball has become one of the flagship projects for the brand's basketball division.
LaMelo brings a very recognizable language to his sneakers, characterized by bold colors, graphics, personal references, and an aesthetic intentionally far from traditional minimalist basketball shoes.
The complete selection is gathered in the Puma LaMelo Ball collection, which includes both models developed for basketball and lifestyle silhouettes.
Puma MB.01
The Puma MB.01 was presented in 2021 as LaMelo Ball's first signature shoe with Puma.
It is also the first true signature sneaker launched by Puma Hoops following the brand's return to basketball in 2018.
The shoe was developed alongside LaMelo and integrates numerous elements directly linked to his identity, including graphics inspired by his tattoos and references such as “Not From Here” and “Rare.”
From a technical standpoint, the MB.01 uses NITRO Foam cushioning, a lightweight upper, and a rubber outsole developed to provide traction on the court.
Puma MB.01 Rick and Morty
One of the most recognizable releases of the MB.01 is the collaboration with Rick and Morty.
The Puma LaMelo Ball MB.01 Rick and Morty uses a very striking color combination and brings the universe of the animated series into LaMelo’s first signature shoe.
The sneaker maintains the performance structure of the MB.01 but combines it with a visual treatment designed for the world of collectible releases.
It is a particularly clear example of how Puma today uses basketball as a meeting point between sport and pop culture.
From MB to Puma LaFrancé
The relationship between Puma and LaMelo Ball is not limited to signature sneakers developed for basketball.
In 2024, Puma introduced LaFrancé, the first true lifestyle shoe developed for LaMelo Ball along with his personal brand, LaFrancé.
The new silhouette shifts the project completely off the court.
The proportions have become much more voluminous, drawing inspiration from chunky sneakers and skate shoes from the nineties and early two-thousands.
LaFrancé and MB therefore represent two different sides of the same universe.
Puma LaFrancé: basketball or lifestyle?
The Puma LaFrancé should not be confused with an MB.01, MB.02, or MB.03.
The MBs belong to LaMelo Ball’s signature basketball line.
The LaFrancé, on the other hand, was born as a lifestyle sneaker, designed primarily to be worn off the court.
The design utilizes exaggerated proportions, very wide laces, a padded tongue, and a substantial cupsole.
This distinction is fundamental when comparing different Puma LaMelo Ball models.
Puma LaFrancé Amour
The Puma LaFrancé Amour family develops the language of LaMelo’s first lifestyle sneaker through various colorways.
The proportions remain intentionally exaggerated, recalling skate and Y2K sneakers.
ResellZone's selection includes different interpretations of the silhouette, from more neutral configurations to significantly brighter ones.
Puma LaFrancé Amour Moment
The Puma LaMelo Ball LaFrancé Amour Moment uses an almost uniform Alpine Snow shade.
The light palette highlights the sneaker’s proportions above all: a voluminous tongue, a heavily padded collar, overlapping panels, and a massive sole.
It is a configuration that leaves the main role to the LaFrancé's shape.
Puma LaFrancé Amour Untouchable
The Puma LaMelo Ball LaFrancé Amour Untouchable instead pushes the silhouette toward a much more striking black and pink combination.
The construction remains the same as the LaFrancé family, but the strong color contrast completely changes the perception of the sneaker.
It is also one of the Pumas with the highest organic visibility currently within the ResellZone catalog.
Puma LaFrancé Amour 1 of 1
The Puma LaMelo Ball LaFrancé Amour 1 of 1 uses an almost monochromatic light blue colorway.
As with the other LaFrancés, the chunky construction and oversize details remain the protagonists.
The colorway shows well how such a distinctive silhouette can take on very different identities without altering its fundamental structure.
Puma LaFrancé For All Time Red
The Puma LaMelo Ball LaFrancé Amour For All Time Red uses an entirely red configuration.
The color further emphasizes the sneaker’s exaggerated aesthetic and recalls the vibrant visual language often used in LaMelo Ball’s projects.
In this case, too, the product remains a lifestyle sneaker and not a performance basketball shoe.
MB.01 and LaFrancé: what are the differences?
The main difference between the Puma MB.01 and the Puma LaFrancé concerns their original purpose.
The MB.01 was born as a signature basketball shoe and uses technologies developed for responsiveness, comfort, and traction on the court.
The LaFrancé was born instead as a lifestyle sneaker.
The design also changes radically: the MB.01 uses a lighter, technical construction, while the LaFrancé features oversize proportions, a massive cupsole, and an aesthetic strongly inspired by Y2K skate culture.
They share LaMelo Ball, but they belong to two different families.
Puma for men and women
Puma for men and women includes an extremely broad catalog, ranging from lifestyle sneakers to performance shoes.
Many contemporary releases are offered in size ranges suitable for unisex use.
However, the fit must be evaluated for each individual silhouette.
A LaFrancé has completely different proportions and construction compared to an MB.01, so it is not correct to automatically use the same size as a reference for every Puma model.
How do Puma LaMelo Ball sneakers fit?
The fit depends on the specific family.
The MBs are performance sneakers developed around the foot and the movements of basketball.
The LaFrancés instead use a more voluminous and heavily padded lifestyle construction.
For this reason, it is preferable to always check the EU size and the instructions for the specific release before purchasing.
How much do Puma sneakers cost?
The price of Pumas can vary significantly depending on the model.
A regularly distributed release follows different dynamics than a signature sneaker, a collaboration, or a particularly limited colorway.
LaMelo Ball models, the MB.01 Rick and Morty, and the LaFrancé can also take on different values on the secondary market based on availability and size.
For this reason, the price must always be evaluated based on the specific release.
Original Pumas and authenticity
To correctly verify original Pumas, one must first identify the model and release.
Shape, Formstrip, upper, materials, stitching, midsole, outsole, branding, internal labels, product code, and packaging can be completely different between a lifestyle sneaker and a signature basketball shoe.
Collaborations and LaMelo Ball releases also feature specific details that must be compared with the correct colorway.
At ResellZone, every product undergoes the prescribed verification process to check its authenticity and correspondence with the specific release. The method used is detailed on the page dedicated to product authenticity.