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Welcome to this week’s edition of The Baseline!

Every Wednesday at 9:36 AM EST, I break down the blueprint for basketball culture, covering industry insights, marketing strategies, and creator tools and resources.

Let’s get started…

MARKETING BLUEPRINT

Selling $1.7 million worth of shoes is a masterclass in sneaker marketing.

But this superstar athlete is a free agent who still hasn’t signed with a sneaker brand.

While most athletes rush into any sneaker deal, Stephen Curry turned his Under Armour termination into his best sneaker marketing campaign ever.

He used this sneaker free agency moment as his own storytelling journey, wearing a different shoe for every tunnel fit, warm-up, and game.

This gave every brand free marketing across his platforms and content, with each pair telling a basketball story or highlighting players he respected.

Every shoe he wore also created a moment of storytelling for fans and media, amplified by the entire industry without any official brand messaging.

As he built attention, curiosity, and demand around his next sneaker choice, Stephen Curry transformed all of this energy into something much bigger and more meaningful.

He partnered with Sotheby’s to auction all 70-plus pairs of shoes from his free agency, raising over $1.7 million for his Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation, which he runs with his wife, Ayesha Curry.

It’s likely he’ll announce his official sneaker deal before the next NBA season starts, but until then, it was great to see Stephen Curry have fun with sneakers again.

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FREE THROWS

Sharing the tools and resources that I’m using this week:

✂️ Personal Clipper - You can now effortlessly transform podcasts and long-form content into ready-to-post short-form video clips using Claude + Higgsfield.

📧 beehiiv - More than just an e-mail platform, beehiiv is now becoming the go-to creator resource for newsletters, websites, and podcasts, providing the tools and resources you need to grow and monetize.

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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 later this week!

- Jeff Chen | 🏀💡👨🏻‍💻