PUMA and NXTPRO Hoops are pouring resources into the next generation of women's basketball players
PUMA and NXTPRO Hoops are expanding grassroots circuits to highlight young players.
Grassroots basketball used to mean school and church leagues, biddy ball All-Star games against teams from towns, counties, and parishes within a couple of hours drive at best. Now it’s sneaker deals, NIL negotiations, transfers, commitment graphics, and frequent flier miles. Billion-dollar companies are betting big on next year’s college stars as Highlight Culture tightens its chokehold on high school hoops.
PUMA is ahead of the game when it comes to women’s basketball thanks to a partnership with the NXTPRO and PRO16 circuits. 5wins got a full 40 minutes (no halftime) with President Matt Reynolds to get the full rundown on how, when, where, and what will be happening on the PUMA NXTPRO and PRO16 circuits to develop the next stars to step onto the NCAA March Madness stage.
After teaming with PUMA, the NXTPRO x PRO16 circuit has quickly established itself as a key player in the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) basketball scene, attracting hundreds of college coaches during NCAA live periods to evaluate prospects. After some time behind the scenes, 5wins saw how PUMA has been an unbelievable resource in navigating all of the moving parts in what is now a four-horse grassroots basketball race between shoe brands.
Word is getting around as dozens of top Power Five recruits have flipped over to sign sponsorship deals with PUMA, including Mia & Mya Paldudo and Kaleena Smith (the top recruit for the class of 2027). As one former NBA executive remarked, “PUMA literally is taking over by just trying and giving effort.”
That effort extended to the women’s side of the court in 2024 and is going all-out in 2025. NXTPRO hosted six PRO16 women’s showcase events last year, building momentum for what is one of the most anticipated ventures in women’s sports. This is the first full year of the full women’s circuit, and NXTPRO is hosting multiple regional events on most weekends through the spring and summer.
PUMA and NXTPRO have a 1,500-deep application list for players who want to participate. It’s easy to see how PUMA is growing the college talent base by investing in the next generation. More than a handful of five-star prospects will play on the NXTPRO PRO16 circuit from March through July. Some just wrapped up the Stewie 30 camp, Breanna Stewart’s Top 30 camp for the best high school hoopers.
The PUMA NXTPRO teams start seasons in California or Chicago, with stops near Dallas, Wichita, Valley Forge, Las Vegas, and Richmond before the finals in Orlando. Travel can be expensive at first, but so is higher education.
Young girls dreaming of future Final Four runs will get those same long looks from hundreds of college coaches over the next few months. Expanding into sponsorship teams to help alleviate costs is a magnet for even more talent. It’s a positive cycle that has left NXTPRO President Matt Reynolds very pleased. Now one of the most influential people in college basketball, Reynolds was just a media student looking to help rural Oklahoma kids find opportunities when this all started.
Reynolds noted that not ignoring any opportunity to stay in the game sets the PUMA NXTPRO operation apart from other grassroots circuits. The Division I or bust mentality is a gross part of the game, and NIL is a mess, but the educational opportunities alone have too many positives to ignore. Degrees are still worth $100,000-plus at the end of the day.
Plus, the exclusive shoes are awesome. This year’s line is again a limited edition run, and here is a scoop: There will be three shoes representing not just the company, not just NXTPRO and PRO16, but all the kids, too. Even the shoes keep with the core philosophy. Reynolds is on top of every little touch when it comes to details that reflect on the program.
In fact, the first grassroots PUMA shoe ever released was not a PRO16 shoe. It was an NXTPRO-branded shoe that required hundreds of hours of collaboration beyond the manufacturing commitment. Now, the PUMA NXTPRO and PRO16 circuits are going to expand over the next two to five years, shoes and players included. Interest in the game is booming, and Reynolds believes women’s basketball could be bigger than the somewhat oversaturated, full-of-bad-habits boys' side.
Now, initiatives can leave a bad taste as a buzzword, granted, but PUMA should not be punished for unfulfilled promises of the past made by unrelated parties. For example, before even mentioning the PUMA roster, NXTPRO went all-in on a top-of-the-line production studio and the staff to make high-quality content possible. The scouting department has been expanded exponentially as well.
5wins has been told to look out for some old-school ESPN-styled shows featuring nothing but PUMA NXTPRO and PRO16 talent. Everything from SportsCenter-inspiring informational hits to Stump the Schwab and Around the Horn segments should be ready on YouTube and NBC’s Peacock before the Women’s Final Four is decided. Approximately 100 videographers are at the ready for the first showcase weekend.
Wait, PUMA NXTPRO and PRO16 games featuring the next NCAA stars will be easily accessible? Yup. YouTube and NBC’s Peacock will have everything up to and including live circuit games so fans can keep up with the next freshman class. Synergy Stats and SportsEngine Play will also have some streaming and stat tracking tools, something that really sets the circuit apart.
So, with the global company delivering on every promise made when it comes to the grassroots women’s game, Reynolds sees no reason that some of the more audacious goals cannot be accomplished in short order. PUMA signed Breanna Stewart after all, the first women’s signature shoe in over a decade. The industry had pretty much given up on that investment angle in the women's space.
Not PUMA. The brand’s decision-makers have decided to get ahead of the curve in every way possible. Others decided women's basketball was not worthy, and they were wrong. These women can sell shoes, they can be successful, and Brianna has shown that with PUMA. They’ve also signed Jackie Young, NaLyssa Smith, Skylar Diggins-Smith, and of Flau'jae Johnson over the past three years.
Other brands have been playing copycat ever since, proving that women’s basketball is trending up. Women’s college basketball should be the biggest beneficiary given the reach of the universities and the number of opportunities when compared to pro hoops. Still, the 2032 Team USA roster has to learn the ropes somewhere. Right now, that place is the PUMA NXTPRO and PRO16 circuits.
Indeed, signs of growth are everywhere. Look at the crowds during the NCAA conference and March Madness tournaments. Fans might even catch a glimpse of women’s merch at a men’s game now. Stewart’s shoes are being worn by NBA All-Stars while fans watching wear Unrivaled shirts.
However, no one from the PUMA or NXTPRO staff wants any player to have their peak at a PRO16 event. That is not the goal of this circuit. The goal is that they are on an incline going up. Everyone else is along for the ride, that journey as they continue to go up. This is just the start of the journey, and hopefully, where they become fans for life.
Got it? Good. Now go grab some sneakers and start working. The PUMA NXTPRO and PRO16 action tips off on March 28 and those 2026 Stewie 30 camp invite lists are always needing a new name.