Pony International LLC reached an agreement to become the official shoe
of the American Basketball Association. As part of the deal, Pony will
be supplying all ABA players with shoes the upcoming season.
According to Joe Newman, ABA CEO, “The league is extremely pleased and
proud to be associated with this outstanding company. Its history and
tradition is one of quality and affordability and we have no doubt that
Pony will once again resume its place as one of the premier basketball
shoe companies in the world.
“Pony is one of the few athletic footwear brands that has successfully
outfitted world class athletes across a broad spectrum of competitive
disciplines, including basketball, football, soccer, baseball, boxing
and gymnastics to name a few,” stated Pony CEO Kevin Wulff. “We are in
a rebuilding stage and we look forward to rebuilding Pony to its former
glory, while also looking at strategic alliances to grow and complement
the Company. The ABA is just such an alliance. With almost 50 teams in
the US, Canada and Mexico, the league is building a huge international
following. The ABA shoes we create will including groundbreaking
designs and of course, affordability. We are genuinely excited to be a
part of this unique league.”
The ABA anticipates that an estimated 60 plus teams will be playing in
the US, Canada and Mexico for the 2007-2008 season and it expects the
league to grow to its target of 100 teams over the next 4-5 years. In
March 2007, International Apparel Group, Inc., a division of Total
Luxury Group, Inc., gained exclusive rights for the development of ABA
on- and off-court team apparel and retail merchandise.
Pony was founded in 1972 and quickly became one of the most distinctive
sports brands in the world. Among the many athletes who wore Pony shoes
were Pele, Muhammad Ali, George Foreman, David Thompson, Darryl
Dawkins, Spud Webb, Dan Marino, Lawrence Taylor, Reggie Jackson and
Tracy Austin. Pony is a designer, distributor and marketer of high
performance and casual athletic footwear and apparel for men, women and
children.