- PUMA released "Tea Time," a run of relaxed, candid interview videos with its PUMA Hoops athletes, filmed during WNBA All-Star Weekend in Chicago (July 23–25, 2026).
- New signee Kelsey Mitchell discussed her bond with Tyrese Haliburton and joining his Hali franchise; rookie Flau'jae Johnson reflected on year one in the league.
- Veteran Skylar Diggins offered a longtime player's perspective, while rookies Ta'Niya Latson and Gianna Kneepkens talked pregame music, their rookie transitions, and their college national titles.
- The series spans PUMA's WNBA roster from a three-time All-Star to first-year pros, using All-Star Weekend's spotlight for off-court storytelling.
PUMA used WNBA All-Star Weekend in Chicago to roll out “Tea Time,” a batch of loose, sit-down videos with its PUMA Hoops athletes. The weekend drew a record 19,783 fans to Chicago’s United Center for the July 25 All-Star Game, and PUMA’s clips gave five players room to talk beyond the box score.
Kelsey Mitchell headlined the batch. The Indiana Fever guard signed with PUMA on June 29, 2026, becoming the first athlete added to Tyrese Haliburton’s Hali franchise.
Fresh off setting the Fever’s career three-point record with 669 makes, the three-time All-Star used her segment to talk about her friendship with Tyrese Haliburton and balancing WNBA life with a PhD in Educational Leadership.
Seattle Storm rookie Flau’jae Johnson, speaking on July 28 about still being early in her first pro season, has been a PUMA face since signing a multi-year NIL shoe deal with the brand in September 2022, back when she was an incoming LSU freshman. She was picked 8th overall by the Golden State Valkyries before being traded to Seattle in April.
Skylar Diggins, now a seven-time All-Star who signed with the Chicago Sky in April free agency and a PUMA athlete since 2017, brought a veteran’s voice to her own episode.
Rookies Ta’Niya Latson, drafted by the Los Angeles Sparks, waived, then signed to a development contract by the Las Vegas Aces in July, and Gianna Kneepkens, the Connecticut Sun’s first-round pick and a 2026 NCAA champion with UCLA, rounded things out, swapping notes on pregame playlists and title runs.
The series lands as PUMA leans harder into lifestyle content across its roster while Nike countered with its own All-Star moment, debuting a fifth Caitlin 1 colorway at the same game.
Takeaways
“Tea Time” isn’t a product drop; it’s PUMA using its biggest WNBA weekend of the year to build affinity rather than sell shoes, mixing a newly signed veteran, a longtime brand loyalist, and multiple rookies into one relatable format. It’s a low-cost way to make a fast-growing roster feel like a connected family, right as the brand’s basketball push keeps expanding.
Does content like this move the needle on athlete loyalty the way a signature shoe does? With Mitchell just months into her PUMA deal, could she headline her own “Tea Time”-style series down the line? How much does this kind of personality-driven content help PUMA compete with Nike’s much larger WNBA footwear presence?
