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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:

📸 Caitlin Clark served as an Indiana Pacers media photographer as she shot King James and the rest of the Lakers vs Pacers game.

👟 Reebok Reebok announced Darius Acuff Jr. has an Acuff 1 signature sneaker on the way, making him the first college basketball player to receive a signature shoe while still in college.

🪦 Nike Basketball is leaning into Kevin Durant’s Slim Reaper nickname as they celebrated KD becoming the 5th All-Time leading scorer in NBA History.

🅾️ Overtime is partnering with UConn Women’s Basketball on a first-of-its-kind content studio on campus, that already includes brand sponsors Wendy’s and Google Gemini.

🧀 Cheez-It and Kon Knueppel are partnering to drop a limited edition box of Double Double Bundle (White Cheddar + Extra Toasty) as Kon looks to finish his rookie season with a potential NBA Rookie of the Year award.

🤖 Kelsey Plum announced her new digital twin in partnership with Talk2MeTwins, allowing fans the opportunity to connect with her through personalized one-on-one content.

✅ JuJu Watkins will be the first athlete to receive a signature shoe under the LeBron James NXXT Gen line, as her “Silver Lining” shoe will be available for purchase this summer.

🛜 Kentucky’s Otega Oweh signed two NIL deals with Intuit TurboTax and Buffalo Wild Wings after his March Madness first round buzzer-beater against Santa Clara.

📊 State Farm announced an NIL deal with Purdue guard Braden Smith immediately after he set the NCAA all-time career assists record passing Bobby Hurley for most assists in college basketball history.

🥽 Dick’s Sporting Goods launched their new campaign, “The Scouts Are Out,” featuring Diana Taurasi and Lil Dicky as they scout the team of Nike Basketball, Jordan, and Converse athletes.

🌸 The Washington Wizards are bringing back the team’s Cherry Blossom uniforms for their 2026-27 NBA City Edition jerseys.

🍟 McDonald’s announced Metro Boomin, Studbudz, Diana Taurasi, Jamiersen Green, and Andre Power as their led talent for the upcoming McDonald’s All-American Games.

Know What Matters in Tech Before It Hits the Mainstream

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It takes about five minutes to read.

The insight lasts all day.

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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 a new alternative to ChatGPT:

ChatGPT is great, but lately, I’ve noticed mine has too many critical errors and hallucinations.

At the same time, I’ve seen a lot of people applauding Claude (which may just be effective social and creator partnership marketing at play).

However, it’s impressive to see a brand implement an entire toolkit to help onboard their competitor’s former customers, and it serves as a lesson for all brands to explore running a similar strategy.

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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 | 🏀💡👨🏻‍💻