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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 released a new spot in honor of Victor Wembanyama becoming the first-ever unanimous NBA Defensive Player of the Year.

🍿 adidas Basketball collaborated with Katt Williams to get your popcorn ready, making a bold claim for Anthony Edwards and his AE2 as the NBA Playoffs begin.

🃏 Topps made two major announcements: they signed Anthony Edwards to an exclusive trading card deal, and Victor Wembanyama will wear a gold NBA logo on his uniform in every game of the 2026-27 season (select patches will be removed from Wemby’s jerseys and inserted into rare trading cards).

📘 Devin Booker previewed a new colorway of his Nike Book 2 inspired by Don C’s Jordan 2, that Book famously wore during a game at Kentucky.

🚫 Kelsey Plum and Under Armour have ended their partnership, making her the latest basketball athlete to part ways with the brand following Stephen Curry's notable departure.

💕 A’ja Wilson and Nike Basketball continue their roll out for the A’Two as her second signature shoe drops on May 2.

🏀 GameChanger kicked off their Girls EYBL partnership as creator Chloe Pavlech arrived at the Phoenix stop to celebrate women’s basketball and to help stream every game in the circuit.

👟 Lethal Shooter partnered with Foot Locker to help launch the exclusive drop of the AJ4028 sneaker at the Jordan Brand Classic in Los Angeles.

✨ Artist Victor Solomon shared his new custom stained glass backboard for his “Heart & Hustle” campaign with the Philadelphia 76ers and Crypto.com.

👕 Overtime continues their NBA partnership as they brought on creator Quincy Helsel for this new merch drop of officialy licensed NBA gear.

🔐 Ledger partnered with creator MK to host a series of community 1v1 runs in San Antonio, to help amplify the brand’s partnership with the Spurs heading into the playoffs.

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THE POINT FORWARD

This is the new 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 a good marketing stunt:

From this week alone, we saw Drake’s Iceman stunt in Toronto and Nigel Sylvester’s stunt with Jordan Brand. Are these really dumb or very creative?

Adventures led by women designed to make a difference.

Trek the Andes with an all-female crew in Peru. Join a women-run tuk tuk tour in Cambodia. Enjoy a traditional hot stone bath experience at a women-owned farmhouse in Bhutan. Intrepid’s new small-group Women’s Expeditions in Peru, Cambodia and Bhutan provide immersive local experiences for travellers while supporting women-run businesses.

Explore the new trips

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 | 🏀💡👨🏻‍💻