🧡 Here's what you missed in Basketball Culture - 8/28/26

Celebrating Mamba Day on 8/24 and much more

Author

Jeff Chen
August 28, 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 jump right into it…

FAST BREAK

Here’s what you missed this week:

🐍 Nike Basketball celebrated the launch of the Kobe 10 Protro sneaker on 8/24 Day with artist collaborations from the likes of Greg Yuna, Briony, Colin Roberts, TYPCollection, Oversize Guo, and Dy_yifanzhang.

4️⃣1️⃣ Jordan Brand officially unveiled their new Air Jordan 41 game shoe, which was developed based on insights from athletes like Michael Jordan, as well as Jordan Brand’s signature athletes and players from their college and EYBL programs.

🦖The Toronto Raptors and Kyle Lowry announced a new logo and some special GROAT (Greatest Raptor of All Time) nights for the upcoming season ahead of his jersey retirement.

📌 Breanna Stewart has partnered with Pinterest to showcase how she finds inspiration through her daily interactions in NYC.

💰 Unrivaled raised more than $100 million in their latest Series C funding round, which now values the women's 3-on-3 basketball league at over $650 million.

🎽 The 76ers released their newest jerseys in their team store and partnered with local Philly-based creator Justin Leusner for a series of team-inspired content with local fans.

👟Reebok Basketball introduced the 3D-printed Question 96/26, 30 years after the original Question sneaker was released in 1996.

🏀 OG.com has formed the perfect partnership with OG Anunoby, and they will be giving away a signed jersey on this new sports betting platform.

2️⃣ Shai Gilgeous-Alexander officially transitioned from Converse to Nike Basketball when he visited the Global Nike Headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon, this week.

🎙️ adidas Basketball highlights Club 520 in their new campaign, featuring Jeff Teague and his podcast crew as the first podcast to secure a sneaker deal.

⛳️ LeBron James is partnering with the PGA that will spotlight underrepresented golfers chasing their pro dreams while giving back to the Akron community.

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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 AI content has a time and place:

@swishfr

Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum x Brand New Day #nba #basketball #jaylenbrown #jaysontatum #celtics

TikTok kids are going crazy with these Brand New Day x NBA Aura Edits…

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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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