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Welcome to the first edition of The Baseline in 2026!

It’s a new year, but the same focus on where brand marketing and the creator economy are headed next across basketball culture.

Let’s jump right into it…

FAST BREAK

Here’s what you missed this week:

5️⃣ Luka Dončić said sorry to Woj, Boban, and NBA referees for being a Bad Luka in his new Jordan Brand campaign for the Luka 5s.

🌮 Taco Bell apologized to Nikola Jokic with a T-shirt takeover at Ball Arena in Denver and a Taco Bell cardigan tunnel moment with the 3x MVP, as the brand’s famous commercial overshadowed his 2014 draft day pick.

🏀 Caitlin Clark surprised everyone on Christmas morning as she and Nike demonstrated that she can make it From Anywhere, as they begin to ramp up her signature sneaker launch.

🛣️ Stephen Curry was honored by Davidson with an interchange in his name, coincidentally Exit 30, which takes I-77 travelers to the university.

📗 Devin Booker is on a mission as the league’s true professional as Nike Basketball dropped the new Book 2 “License For Skill” campaign spot (also narrated by Raekwon).

🥁 Wemby continues to change the culture and fandom across the NBA as he led a new team tradition with the San Antonio Spurs home fans.

🎄 Cameron and Cayden Boozer provided the voiceover for the Jordan Holiday Classic promo spot with Made Hoops, as the annual winter showcase event took over New York City.

👑 LeBron turned 41 and the arena sang “you are my sunshine” to the Forever King (not real but great viral and fun content).

📈 The NBA had it’s most watched Christas Day in 15 years with more than 47 million people tuned in, up 45% from last year.

🐠 Ben Simmons recently became a 50% owner of a professional sport fishing championship team as the former number one pick continues to be an NBA free agent.

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THE POINT FORWARD

This is the section of our newsletter where I point out one thing worth sharing with someone in your network—whether it’s a job, a resource, or just an idea or inspiration.

Forward this to someone who needs some inspiration to start 2026.

If you fall in love with the process of the work, everything else will fall into place…

What do Tom Brady, Alex Hormozi, and Jay Shetty all have in common?

They all have newsletters.

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POST-GAME

Thanks for reading—I’ll see you back here next week!

And if you enjoyed reading today’s newsletter, please share it with one friend.

- Jeff Chen | 🏀💡👨🏻‍💻