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Welcome to this week’s edition of The Baseline!

Let’s get right into it—this is your weekly blueprint for basketball culture:

MARKETING BLUEPRINT

This is the exact playbook on how to sell out a sneaker in less than 5 minutes:

It's a rare accomplishment these days, but it's what happens when Nike executes a perfect 360-degree marketing campaign.

But pulling that off is way harder than just planning the strategy out on a deck but here’s how they did it:

First, you have to understand this was years in the making from product design to creating A’ja Wilson’s unique brand identity.

Then, the rollout began with a pre-heat retail tour (Foot Locker, Dick’s Sporting Goods), featuring early access events and community-driven moments in the cities (Columbia, SC and Las Vegas, NV) that mattered most to A’Ja.

Next, they flooded our feeds with content that not only entertained but emotionally connected us, making us feel a part of A’ja’s world.

They also seeded the shoe to the right people, helping amplify the product on court from Bam, to her teammates and key basketball influencers.

Not to mention, they secured unique media placements that showed how big of a movement this shoe was by working with directors like Malia Obama.

This was an A’Plus masterclass in athlete-led storytelling and this A’One rollout was another W for A’ja Wilson’s long list of career accolades.

And with the WNBA season about to start, I won’t be surprised when new colorways instantly sell out because this might be an early favorite for sneaker of the year.

FREE THROWS

Sharing the tools and resources that I’m using this week:

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FAST BREAK

Here’s what you missed this week:

🐐 NBA on NBC made a huge announcement as Michael Jordan will join the network as a "Special Contributor" for NBA coverage, joining an already star-studded lineup that includes Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony, Blake Griffin, Steve Nash, Candace Parker, Taylor Rooks, Dirk Nowitzki, and more.

🦸🏾‍♂️ Before his playoff-ending Achilles injury, Jayson Tatum received a pair of custom Superman-inspired Jordan Tatum 3s to accompany his new commercial promoting the upcoming Superman movie.

🤑 Angel Reese and Magic Johnson are bringing financial literacy to Baltimore youth with their Wealth Playbook, a four-session course backed by Merrill Lynch.

👟 Reebok names designer Jide Osifeso as their new Head of Basketball, while Shaquille O'Neal (President of Reebok Basketball) and Allen Iverson (VP) co-star in a new Netflix series, "Power Moves," that documents behind the scenes of re-building the legacy brand.

🗽 Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty has just become an official sponsor of the New York Liberty, marking their first sports partnership with integration into merchandise, in-game activations, and content.

⚰️ Russell Westbrook and his business partner, Donnell Beverly Jr., launched a new AI-enabled funeral planning venture called Eazewell, designed to simplify funeral planning for families.

🍊 Carmelo Anthony was the guest commencement speaker at Syracuse's Class of 2025 graduation, and his nine-minute speech is worth every minute of watching.

🗓️ May 12th will now officially be known as Sabrina Ionescu Day in Eugene, Oregon, as the former Oregon Duck star is honored.

🏀 Paul Pierce went viral for keeping his promise to walk 20 miles to work in LA after the Celtics lost, despite his prediction that they would win.

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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 | 🏀💡👨🏻‍💻