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Welcome to this week’s edition of The Baseline!

Let’s jump right into your weekly blueprint for basketball culture…

HIDDEN BLUEPRINT

This new Gatorade spot might be the most diabolical sports marketing video ever.

The genius lies in all the hidden messages aimed directly at the Dallas Mavericks fans' new public enemy number one, Nico Harrison.

At first glance, this ad looks like a generic video of Luka Dončić dribbling alone in an empty gym, but the devil is in the details—something all the best marketers and storytellers obsess over.

First, take a close look at the towel around Luka's neck, which spells "TRAITOR" using the Gatorade wordmark.

Then there are the obvious yellow bleachers spelling "LA," but there's still more...

The on-screen text "NO LOVE LOST, ONLY SWEAT" is perfect copywriting, directly referencing Luka's weight loss in LA following the overweight rumors that contributed to his departure from Dallas.

This isn’t just another sports marketing ad; it's a multi-layered quintuple entendre that demonstrates the power of brand storytelling.

While the Mavs gave away special Slovenian "Thank You for Everything" t-shirts at Luka's return game, Gatorade had already won the emotional pregame battle with this taylor-made commercial.

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FAST BREAK

Here’s what you missed this week:

1️⃣ Paige Bueckers continued her epic week as she was drafted first overall in the WNBA Draft, secured a $350,000 one-season deal with Unrivaled, and her brand partners Nike and Gatorade released new spots to celebrate her move to Dallas.

🤝 Russell Westbrook made history by teaming up with the WNBA’s #6 draft pick, Georgia Amoore, to design her draft night outfit and a t-shirt for his brand, Honor The Gift. Proceeds will support Play Like A Girl, a nonprofit aiding girls in STEM and sports.

📺 The NBA's 2025 Playbooks are here, and the league just released another classic commercial set to the sounds of Aerosmith's "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing."

🐜 adidas Basketball has been working on a new film featuring Anthony Edwards and his best friend Nick Maddox, that’ll include a live trivia show and product prizes.

👟 Luka scored 45 points in his first game back in Dallas and then made a surprise in-store appearance to launch his Luka 4 sneaker at a local Dick’s Sporting Goods, while Jordan Brand released their newest campaign, "The Trial of Luka."

🎤 Flau'Jae Johnson made a breaking news announcement, revealing that she will be staying at LSU for another year—while also going on tour with BossMan Dlow for a series of concerts across the country.

📒 Stephen Curry announced a new photo book called "SHOT READY" that he is releasing in partnership with Penguin Random House.

👛 Ahead of the WNBA draft, the league announced two new multi-year partnerships, including Coach becoming the first official bag partner and Ally becoming the official retail bank and changemaker partner.

🏀 Under Armour released their second campaign video with RDC, this time highlighting all the critics and their misguided opinions on Kelsey Plum.

⛳️ Not basketball related but it is basketball related—Jordan Brand announced their entering the golf industry.

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POST-GAME

Thanks for reading—I’ll see you back here next week!

If you have any questions, ideas, or opportunities to work together—just shoot me a quick email and let’s chat!

- Jeff Chen | 🏀💡👨🏻‍💻