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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:

🎉 The WNBPA and WNBA have reached a tentative verbal agreement on their new CBA, which will include increases in the salary cap, revenue sharing, player compensation, and more.

👑 Azzi Fudd is one of college basketball’s biggest NIL athletes, and she launched new brands partnership in the days leading up to March Madness, including her own custom bowl with Cava and content with Cash App, Celsius/SLAM, Geico, and Marriott Bonvoy.

👀 James Harden gave Jalen Williams a tour of his adidas Basketball sneaker collection, with a subtle tease at an upcoming J-Dub signature shoe.

👟 Kevin Durant used his own media platform, Boardroom, to provide an official first look at his Nike KD19 signature sneaker, following what many consider one of the best signature sneakers of his career with the KD18.

🎰 The NBA and Fanatics Sportsbook launched a new show, "Cooking Up Parlays," hosted by Action Bronson. Their show will blend food, sports betting, and feature some of the biggest names in sports, like Kendrick Perkins, Gary Payton, Lil Yachty, Greg Yuna, and more.

📞 The Memphis Grizzlies might have the promotional giveaway of the year as they handed out Call 12 Ja Morant-branded retro flip phones during their game against the Nuggets.

🏆 Fresh off leading Duke to an ACC Tournament Championship, Cameron Boozer posted new partnerships with The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, State Farm, and dominos.

🍫 Tyrese Halliburton went viral for stating that you should Make one bracket and stand on it, and Reese's quickly partnered with him for their Every Bracket Busts championship giveaway.

🎨 Underdog trolled Kobe and Los Angeles fans with this Bam Adebyao mural and PrizePicks was quick to jump in to fix it.

🧢 Lids has named Chase B as their official new Creative Director as the DJ and producer joins the global sports hat retailer.

🏀 The NBA is getting close to officially exploring expansion to Seattle and Las Vegas, which would bring the league's total number of teams to 32, with potential expansion draft rules on the way.

⛳️ LeBron is getting ready for his post-basketball career as he starred in his first golf commercial in a Nike and Beats by Dre collaboration.

🏦 JPMorganChase has launched an athlete council that includes Dwyane Wade, Sue Bird, Jalen Brunson, A'ja Wilson, and other elite athletes from various sports. This council will assist with financial literacy programming for other athletes in collaboration with the bank.

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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 hasn’t had their bracket busted yet:

Ryan Hammer is IMO, the best college basketball creator online, and he breaks down the blueprint of which team will win it all this year using historical data and facts.

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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 | 🏀💡👨🏻‍💻