I never thought that the Detroit Pistons would be the team that helped expand the NBA in France, but Killian Hayes is about to do just that.
Hayes, who is the highest drafted Frenchman of all time, recently signed a deal with PUMA that should raise his profile considerably both in the United States in France.
OFFICIAL: Puma has signed Pistons guard Killian Hayes to a multi-year footwear & apparel endorsement deal.@iam_killian, the 2020 NBA Draft’s 7th pick, is the league’s highest drafted Frenchman and will also be featured in Puma France campaigns and activations. pic.twitter.com/lGMAEdJMgF
— Nick DePaula (@NickDePaula) August 23, 2021
Hayes is part of surge in French talent that could see France become the next basketball powerhouse in international play.
The Detroit Pistons are already a big part of it.
Detroit Pistons: With Killian Hayes, the Pistons are the NBA’s French connection
There has been a lot of talent coming out of France and there is more on the way, as youngster Victor Wembanyama has been called one of the “most intriguing prospects” of all time and also hails from France.
The Detroit Pistons already have two French players in Killian Hayes and Sekou Doumbouya, and it shows, as the Pistons have a ton of French fans right now and a good number of our followers on Twitter are tweeting in French.
Ultimately this is a good thing for the Pistons, as it not only draws in more fans but gives Detroit a connection to some of the other players that are coming out of France.
The International game has caught up and is churning out more talent than ever, so having a pipeline to one of the hotbeds in Europe is a good thing for the Pistons.
Let’s hope Killian Hayes lives up to it, as he has shown some exciting promise but also some big flaws as a player so far in his young career.
He is poised to be the next Tony Parker, the guy who represents France in the NBA and we are going to see a lot of young French fans wearing his PUMA kicks.