In partnership with

Happy Black Friday!

Does anyone else miss the OG Best Buy stampedes of shoppers at 6AM?

If you're looking to save on some of my go-to marketing tools and creator resources, I've listed the Black Friday savings they're offering here.

But anyways, let’s get right into today’s edition of The Baseline!

FAST BREAK

Here’s what you missed this week:

🐐 Jordan Brand signed top high school basketball players Kiyan Anthony, Sarah Strong, and Cameron and Cayden Boozer to their NIL class.

3️⃣ Chris Paul announced his retirement with the help of long time brand partner State Farm as the two dished out this social media asset prior to CP3’s official announcement.

🚫 Netflix is reportedly canceling Starting 5 after two seasons due to low viewership, although official Season 2 data won’t be available until early 2026.

🅱️ Sophie Cunningham becomes the latest WNBA player to sign with the overseas league Project B. The players that have previously committed include Nneka Ogwumike, Alyssa Thomas, Jonquel Jones, Jewell Loyd, Kamilla Cardoso, Li Meng, Janelle Salaun and Kelsey Mitchell)

🔟 adidas Basketball and James Harden announced their new Harden Vol. 10 sneaker, officially lunching December 15th.

🎬 Stephen Curry released the poster art for his new animated film, GOAT, which also features a voice cast including Gabrielle Union, Nick Kroll, and Stephen Curry himself.

🥃 Travis Scott collaborated with Michael Jordan’s tequila brand Cincoro to created a limited edition Cactus Jack bottle of Cincoro.

🕴️ Carmelo Anthony’s iconic 2003 NBA Draft Suit is on display at the Pratt Library in Baltimore, as part of the “House of Melo” exhibit.

🎷 Utah Jazz fans are now banned from bringing signs to home games, to “create an atmosphere that makes the game more enjoyable for everyone.”

🎮 The quarter-zips trend has officially been added as a custom apparel option in NBA 2K26 so shout out to @whois.jason on starting the entire movement.

Find customers on Roku this holiday season

Now through the end of the year is prime streaming time on Roku, with viewers spending 3.5 hours each day streaming content and shopping online. Roku Ads Manager simplifies campaign setup, lets you segment audiences, and provides real-time reporting. And, you can test creative variants and run shoppable ads to drive purchases directly on-screen.

Bonus: we’re gifting you $5K in ad credits when you spend your first $5K on Roku Ads Manager. Just sign up and use code GET5K. Terms apply.

Use code GET5K now

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 is aspiring to make a million dollars, whether through their own corporate ladder journey or the entrepreneurship route.

I’ll be launching my next business idea soon and will definitely be using one of the bottom 10 approaches…

Make Every Platform Work for Your Ads

Marketers waste millions on bad creatives.
You don’t have to.

Neurons AI predicts effectiveness in seconds.
Not days. Not weeks.

Test for recall, attention, impact, and more; before a dollar gets spent.

Brands like Google, Facebook, and Coca-Cola already trust it. Neurons clients saw results like +73% CTR, 2x CVR, and +20% brand awareness.

Get a 14-day FREE trial & start improving your ads, at top speed.

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 | 🏀💡👨🏻‍💻