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Welcome to the end of the week edition of The Baseline!

Every Friday morning, I break down what you missed in basketball culture. 

This 3-minute read shares the latest marketing and creator insights across the industry.

Let’s jump right into it…

FAST BREAK

Here’s what you missed this week:

🎽 Nike rolled out the official 2026 WNBA Rebel Edition Uniforms as each of the league’s 15 teams designed a jersey built on insights from communities that define them.

🍽️ Stephen and Ayesha Curry partnered with Warren Buffett and eBay to auction off a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to have lunch with them, with all proceeds going to the Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation and the Glide Foundation.

5️⃣ Boardroom listed their Top 5 Most Marketable WNBA Players This Season and Top 5 Most Marketable NBA Players left in the playoffs. Do you agree with their list?

🏀 It’s official and starting with the 2026-27 season, the NCAA Division I men’s and women’s basketball tournaments will expand from 68 to 76 teams. This expansion introduces a 12-game "Opening Round" featuring 24 teams, replacing the previous "First Four" format to determine the final 64-team field for the first round.

🐍 Nike announced a Kobe 4 Proto “Draft Pack” that is inspired by the teams that passed on drafting the Black Mamba.

💍 adidas Basketball celebrated Chelsea Gray on her fourth WNBA Championship ring by taking over the Adidas Las Vegas store for a WNBA season kickoff celebration.

🎬 Reebok Basketball just dropped two storytelling vignettes for their newest athletes, Darius Acuff Jr. and Nate Ament, both projected NBA lottery picks.

🍗 Paige Bueckers and Aaliyah Edwards teamed up with Secret Deodorant for a special SponCon episode of Hot Ones via FirstWeFeast.

📲 Top hoops creator Jesser hits the court as he teamed up with Android to learn more about their Gemini Intelligence.

🎓 Tracy McGrady joins the trend of current and retired NBA players becoming part of a college basketball program's front office, as he is named Wagner College’s Strategic Advisor.

👟 PJ Tucker’s The Better Generation store is partnering with Nike on an exclusive limited edition collaboration of the GT Future.

💊 Caitlin Clark continues her partnership with Eli Lilly and Company as they encourage everyone to take a shot at better health together.

💰 Jake Paul's betr platform hosted the podcast hoops battle as Lonzo Ball and his "Ball In The Family" podcast faced off against Charlie Villanueva and his "To The Baja" podcast crew.

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THE POINT FORWARD

This is the section of the 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 still uses SnapChat and/or BeReal:

Meta (Facebook / Instagram / Whatsapp) continues their quest on social media platform dominance, as they roll out a new feature that’s eerily similar to SnapChat and BeReal. Would you use Instants on Instagram?

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POST-GAME

Thanks for reading! Here are a few ways we can stay connected:

🤝 Partner With Me: I work with brands, athletes and creators across their brand strategy, digital media, creator programs, partnerships, and marketing growth. Interested in working together? Get in touch here.

📊 Be First: I’m building Future Blueprint Sports — the definitive discovery and intelligence platform for sports marketing and creator culture. Get early access today.

👋 Stay Connected: Enjoyed this newsletter? Share it with a friend or colleague. Also follow me on LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok for more sports marketing and creator insights.

Thanks and see you next week!

- Jeff Chen | 🏀💡👨🏻‍💻