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Welcome to The Baseline!

Every end of the week, 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 started…

FAST BREAK

Here’s what you missed this week:

📗 Nike Basketball and Foot Locker hosted a Book 2 pop-up outside the Suns arena with an exclusive early launch of the “Phoenix” colorway. The Neumann brothers hosted a park takeover, and even Devin Booker showed up during the activation’s midnight installation.

🌍 The NBA is in Germany for their Berlin Games as they partnered with a crew of creators to help drive awareness for the moment, including a Jason Williams voiceover of a @_sportsball video and a live stream with RDC World.

☕️ Jimmy Butler's Big Face Coffee brand partnered with Square to announce their next mobile retail location pulling up to the Bay Area.

👑 Topps announced that LeBron will wear a special Year 23 Patch for the remainder of this NBA season, as those patches will be removed from his jersey after each game and placed into ultra-rare trading cards.

🧱 Paige Bueckers signed a long term partnership deal with LEGO, which is built off of an insight she shared in a WNBA post that she would have been a “first-round pick LEGO builder” if basketball never entered the picture.

🤓 Harvard Women's Basketball unveiled their new team motto: “NERDS CAN HOOP TOO,” as the defending Ivy League champions prove that they can excel both on and off the court.

🏀 Chris Brickley and Breanna Stewart teamed up for a new video series with Puma Hoops, analyzing Breanna's game as they train together in Spain.

🐐 Stephen Curry’s new animated movie, GOAT, premiering in theaters on February 13th—also features voiceovers by A’ja Wilson and Angel Reese, who play two of the film’s characters.

✍️ Denver Nuggets two-way forward Spencer Jones is going viral for his LinkedIn content, a personal branding blueprint we shared last summer as he establishes his network by sharing stories of his pro basketball journey, interests in technology and business investments.

👟 Reebok Basketball signed Tre Mann, as the Charlotte Hornets guard is known for his unique style and fashion, eerily similar to 90’s Allen Iverson.

🇩🇪 Franz and Mo Wagner surprised the next generation of young German hoopers by hosting a clinic with adidas Basketball, as the NBA hosts their Berlin Games with the Orlando Magic and Memphis Grizzlies.

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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 needs to take responsibility:

As a parent and someone that collaborates with a lot of different partners, staff, clients, vendors and creatives, it’s a helpful reminder I came across on the scroll about taking ownership through accountability and responsibility.

The Future of Shopping? AI + Actual Humans.

AI has changed how consumers shop, but people still drive decisions. Levanta’s research shows affiliate and creator content continues to influence conversions, plus it now shapes the product recommendations AI delivers. Affiliate marketing isn’t being replaced by AI, it’s being amplified.

Download the full report

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 | 🏀💡👨🏻‍💻