Slam Places Premium on Basketball Culture With One 'N Done

The NBA's 75th anniversary celebration has led to some quality ad content, such as the league's recent spot featuring a who's who of basketball stars past and present. Now, basketball publisher Slam is getting in on the action with a wide-ranging collectible drop called One 'N Done. Beginning Oct. 28 with an ode to 75 years of the NBA, the first product collaboration will feature artist Victor Solomon and his brand Literally Balling. Throughout the 2021-22 NBA season, Slam will release exclusive drops with brands including Actively Black, Colle, Utopia and Warren Lotas. “Our approach for One ’N Done was to partner with creators who impact basketball culture through their creativity, passion and commitment to the game, and there is no better moment than the NBA's 75th anniversary to kick off these collaborations,” said Jeff Chen, senior director of integrated marketing for Slam, in a statement. “Products have always created tangible memories for consumers. We hope each of these collaboration products bring our fans a feeling of nostalgia and excitement as we tell stories around iconic moments in basketball culture.” The broad range of merchandise includes T-shirts and hoodies, candles and trading cards. Created in partnership with a curated list of Slam's favorite brands, artists and creators, each collaborative collectible will be inspired by and rooted in basketball storytelling, and released in strictly limited quantities—and only once. Artist Victor Solomon designed collectables in collaboration with Slam that will be released Oct. 28. Slam will post the drop calendar soon with purchase information and features about each collaboration. “We’re excited to share these drops with our global hoops community,” Chen added. “Everyone we’re partnering with is extremely talented and gifted. As we continue to unlock new ways to tell basketball stories, we’re just scratching the surface of our brand’s potential for new product lines and collaborations in addition to our existing offerings.” At the heart of basketball culture Known for its history as a basketball magazine with iconic covers in the '90s and early aughts, Slam has remained a major player in basketball culture. The brand has widened its focus, tackling gaming, apparel, and youth and women's basketball, in addition to the NBA. Earlier this year, Slam also tested the cryptocurrency waters, launching an NFT release of its previous magazine covers with NBA star Zion Williamson. Last month, the brand also announced a partnership with NFT platform Autograph to create and distribute digital collectible content on DraftKings Marketplace. Artist Peder Cho of Utopia US collaborated with Slam on merchandise. Owned by JDS Sports, the publisher has a community of over 16 million global fans and followers. Slam draws over 89 million monthly video views across all of its social platforms. "Slam is in a very unique position at the moment," CEO Les Green said. "We are a globally recognized brand and a staple within basketball culture who continues to gain new fans every day. While our '90s beginnings are an asset in a time when nostalgia is trending in pop culture, we continue to stay young as our presence in high school basketball creates new fans and ambassadors with every new recruiting class." Green also said that Slam's vertical extensions including LeagueFits, Slam FTW and Slam Kicks allow the brand to venture into the expanded NBA universe that branches off into fashion, gaming and sneakers. How HBCUs Are Schooling Major Brands in Marketing Deals

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Slam Places Premium on Basketball Culture With One 'N Done

The media publisher is collaborating with artists and brands for exclusive merchandise drops

Rafael Canton

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Rafael Canton