🧡 Here's what you missed in Basketball Culture - 5/8/26

Skechers has officially become a multiyear partner of the WNBA

Author

Jeff Chen
May 08, 2026 • Estimated Reading Time: 2 minutes

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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 get right into it…

FAST BREAK

Here’s what you missed this week:

👟 Skechers just locked in a multi-year partnership with the WNBA, becoming an official marketing partner of the league as the brand features a growing roster of WNBA athletes including Jackie Young, Rickea Jackson and Kiki Iriafen.

🐜 Anthony Edwards returned from injury faster than expected, and adidas Basketball used the moment to announce that his take-down sneaker model, The Believe That 1, is dropping on May 7th.

🚫 Kelsey Plum made a surprise appearance in the Antman x adidas Basketball spot, as she officially signed with the brand after her departure from Under Armour, and she made sure to cover up all her Nike logos during her Sparks media day photos.

🏙️ Nike Basketball’s EYBL City Series premiered in Washington, D.C. last weekend, and the grassroots basketball community responded with astounding feedback on bringing competitive AAU hoops to top local markets outside of the standard EYBL locations.

📒 Caitlin Clark announces with Random House Books for Young Readers that she will be releasing and authoring her first children’s book, EXTRAordinary! A Little EXTRA to Reach BIG Dreams.

🕷️ Donovan Mitchell pulled off the infamous Spiderman meme as he debuts his D.O.N. Issue #8 sneaker.

🦬 John Wall is joining Howard University as President of Basketball Operations, as we continue to see a rising trend of current and retired NBA players taking leadership roles at college basketball programs across the country.

💗 Top-ranked high school recruit and University of South Carolina Women’s Basketball commit Jerzy Robinson pulled up to Foot Locker in South Carolina to help launch A’ja Wilson’s new Nike A’Two sneaker to her alumni community.

🏀 New Balance Basketball dropped their S1 ’26 Collection in a campaign featuring members of their Masaryk Community Gym in New York City, which was originally a Nike Basketball pop-up experience before New Balance and Aimé Leon Dore converted the location into their own brand space.

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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 loves geography, sports and trivia:

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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 | 🏀💡👨🏻‍💻

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