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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:

🇵🇭 Anthony Edwards premiere his AE3 on court during his Manila tour, which included playing pickup with NBA impersonators and dissing Nike in a freestyle at a club.

👀 Creator @allhailbball signed a historic jersey patch sponsorship with the Robert Morris University Men’s Basketball Team, making him the first creator to secure a jersey patch deal in exchange for social media content and storytelling, helping to grow the team’s brand and visibility.

⛳️ LeBron has officially become a YouTube golf creator, launching his new YouTube channel focused on golf content.

🌞 The Phoenix Mercury honored Diana Taurasi with a one-of-a-kind pair of custom Kobe x LeBron hybrid Nike sneakers to celebrate the retirement of her #3 jersey.

🎮 NBA 2K expanded its Community Day activation and brought it to Intuit Dome, where 100 creators from around the world came together to play 2K27.

📈 Sophie Cunningham has indirectly contributed to a surge in merchandise sales for XX-XY Athletics following her recent comments on transgender issues and a photo with the brand’s founder, former elite gymnast Jennifer Sey.

📽️ PlaqueBoyMax brought Klay Thompson on stream, which led to some 1v1 and interesting convos, along with this rant from Michael Redd about pro athletes potentially watering down their brands by joining these creator streams.

🗽 Nike Basketball’s NYvsNY tournament wrapped their 8th summer as the top high school hoopers competed on New York’s most infamous playground parks.

🌉 The WNBA announced that the 2027 WNBA All-Star Game will be hosted at the Chase Center in San Francisco, as the Valkyries have been one of the top revenue-generating teams since joining the league.

🛒 Tyrese Maxey surprised the high school hoopers at New Balance’s Beantown Elite event with his new New Balance Maxey 1 signature shoe.

🟢Jaylen Brown announced a 741 Frequency Fest block party celebration as a farewell to his fans in Boston, as he also previewed a new sneaker from his 741 Brand.

🌏 Jalen Williams is embarking on a J Dub Tour of Asia with adidas Basketball, making stops in Shanghai and Tokyo as he reintroduces the Harden Vol. 1.

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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 thinks their state has the best hoopers of all time:

California vs New York in a 7 game series…who wins?

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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 | 🏀💡👨🏻‍💻