With both IRL and virtual events, retailers and brands including Foot Locker, JD Sports, Nike, Jordan Brand and the National Basketball Players’ Association (NBPA) will be making sure the sideline action is as exciting as what happens on court when the National Basketball Association’s annual All-Star weekend tips off in Indianapolis this Friday, Feb. 16.
Foot Locker Launches ‘The Clinic’ with Nike, Jordan Brands
Foot Locker is using the occasion of All-Star Weekend to launch a year-long community engagement program with Nike and Jordan Brand called “The Clinic,” which will feature interactive activations, high-reach media, basketball clinics, social media content and community events featuring Nike and Jordan’s athlete partners alongside Foot Locker “Stripers” in locations around the country.
It all begins with a weekend-long activation at Foot Locker’s “Home Court” installation in Indianapolis during All-Star Weekend. The Home Court pop-up will feature a series of experiences and events, including an interactive LED half-court, daily basketball clinics, sneaker trialing, customization stations, exclusive product releases, athlete appearances and more. Programming specific to The Clinic debut will include:
- A “Skills & Drills” challenge with Nike and the San Antonio Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama;
- A “Beat the Clock” challenge with Jordan Brand and the Orlando Magic’s Paolo Banchero; and
- The world premiere of the Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo’s documentary Giannis: The Marvelous Journey, ahead of its Feb. 19 launch on Prime Video.
Foot Locker’s Home Court space will be located in the Circle Centre Mall in downtown Indianapolis for all three days of All-Star Weekend.
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“By partnering with Foot Locker on The Clinic, we get to share our love of basketball, connect more deeply with athletes and grow the basketball community,” said Jason Kirrer, VP of Nike North America Marketplace Partners in a statement.
The rollout of The Clinic during NBA All-Star 2024 is Foot Locker’s latest investment in what it calls its “basketball offense,” which launched in November 2023. Foot Locker and the NBA had announced a multi-year partnership establishing Foot Locker as an official league marketing partner in the U.S. At the same time, Foot Locker also unveiled its year-round brand platform, The Heart of Sneakers.
“In combining forces with major athletes, our iconic Stripers and exclusive product, The Clinic will celebrate the Heart of Sneakers and love of basketball,” said Frank Bracken, Chief Commercial Officer at Foot Locker in a statement. “Sneakers are more than shoes, they’re a way of life, and at the center of it all you’ll continue to find Foot Locker — the global home of all things sneakers for 50 years and counting.”
NPBA’s New Metaverse Experience Features Virtual Replica of The Brotherhood Deli
The NBPA’s partnership and innovation division, THINK450, has debuted an immersive virtual space for basketball enthusiasts to experience the excitement of the game and All-Star Weekend from anywhere in the world. Developed in partnership with MeetKai, the new virtual experience will feature exclusive access to players, merchandise, contests and more.
During its launch week, timed to coincide with NBA All-Star 2024, the NBPA metaverse space will feature daily limited-edition merchandise drops from brands founded by, invested in, respected or endorsed by NBPA members (known as “F.I.R.E brands”). The virtual vault also will include merchandise from The Sanctuary capsule, a performance line previously reserved only for players. Additionally, fans will be able to join virtual meet-and-greets with players where they can take selfies with their avatars and ask questions in real time.
A standout feature in the NBPA metaverse is the digital replica of The Brotherhood Deli, an in-person fan pop-up shop that gained popularity at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas during the summer of 2023. The bodega-inspired virtual store previewed at CES last month and features a shoppable wall of player-endorsed brands and limited-edition merchandise, enabling basketball enthusiasts to personalize realistic 3D avatars, interact with NBPA members and fellow fans, browse merchandise, discover new products and virtually try on apparel before making a purchase, with direct shipping of the real-world products to their homes.
Basketball fans in the Indianapolis area for All-Star Weekend will be able to visit a physical version of The Brotherhood Deli at Circle Centre Mall, which will feature the same exclusive merchandise available in the metaverse experience.
Even after All-Star Weekend wraps, the NBPA’s metaverse experience will continue to evolve throughout the basketball season, with virtual meet-and-greets with new players, a media lounge featuring exclusive previews of NBPA content, gamified contests with exclusive merchandise prizes and the potential to win a trip to visit The Brotherhood Deli in person in Las Vegas this summer.
“Since its inception last summer, The Brotherhood Deli has been designed as a platform to build community around our players’ passions as entrepreneurs and leaders of their own brands,” said Keisha Wright, SVP of Partnerships and Purpose at THINK450 in a statement. “By bringing The Brotherhood Deli into the metaverse, we are broadening our reach and supporting the connectivity between our players and basketball fans worldwide.”
JD Sports and Jordan Brand Create Co-Branded Pop-Up Store
On Feb. 16, JD Sports and the Jordan Brand will kick off a three-day in-store experience in celebration of All-Star Weekend with a co-branded store at Circle Centre Mall.
Alongside opportunities to shop the latest Jordan Brand product, the brands will utilize JD’s membership community, “STATUS,” to provide event access throughout the weekend. Among the planned events is a special in-store recording of JD’s Community Voices video series featuring Jordan Brand athlete Jaime Jaquez Jr. and DJ Ria and including a donation to their selected charity, The Jaquez Family Scholarship-UCLA Latino Alumni Association. Additional appearances from Jordan Brand athletes, live DJ sets, photo booth activities and more will continue throughout the weekend.
“This is an incredible moment for JD and Jordan Brand to come together and offer a unique physical retail experience while showcasing exclusive products and opportunities for our shoppers and visitors of All-Star,” said Mike Grimes, SVP and Chief Marketing Officer at JD Sports in a statement. “With our U.S. office based in Indianapolis, hosting these events for the local community in our own backyard is a great opportunity to showcase who we are and how we come to life with our partners.”
