Rumors

The NBA’s “Toast” campaign will include TV and digital extensions, of course (the campaign debuted during Sunday’s Knicks-Pacers Game 7 heartbreaker — for Knicks fans at least), with real-world activations at places like New York’s Governors Ball, NBA stores, Footlocker stores and Disney parks. The Larry O’Brien Trophy will also one again go on tour across the country.

The Hollywood Reporter

Reza's counterparts in Philadelphia packed Tucker's game shoes into a dozen of the largest boxes they could find. When they arrived two days after the trade, Reza and his staff "were dizzy" packing each pair into individual shoeboxes and organizing them in their equipment room. They labeled and arranged the shoes by models -- including Kobes, KDs, LeBrons, Kyries and G.T. among other lines -- on four bays of industrial shelving. "It's like we opened up a Foot Locker from scratch," said Reza, who has been with the Clippers for 13 years. "It was the craziest amount of shoes that I've ever inherited. "It's been fun seeing all the PEs [player exclusives], all the one-of-ones he has, all the special editions that only a handful of people in the world have."

ESPN

Nick DePaula: LaMelo Ball teamed up with Puma and Foot Locker to donate a new basketball court at the Simmons YMCA in Charlotte. Court design is inspired by his Puma signature sneaker graphics. pic.twitter.com/3s7vHhbFyo

Twitter

Foot Locker Inc. announced Thursday a multi-year partnership with the National Basketball Association, that makes the athletic footwear and apparel retailer the official market partner of the professional basketball league. “This exciting partnership cements Foot Locker’s position at the center of basketball and sneaker culture and expands our collaborative journey with the NBA,” said Foot Locker Chief Commercial Officer Rank Bracken.

marketwatch.com

Nick DePaula: Rich Paul’s Klutch Athletics by New Balance brand is launching in 100 total locations today across US at: •JD Sports •Dick’s Sporting Goods •Foot Locker •DTLR •Snipes Each retailer is committing to a community impact event as part of their Klutch Athletics launch. pic.twitter.com/Fet7cOT1Vj

Twitter

Foot Locker announced the end of Eastbay last December after 43 years, thanking the company's longtime fan base and marking the end of an era for shoe lovers. The parent company will focus on its existing Foot Locker and Champs Sports stores going forward. For the NBA's sneaker king, to even "The King" himself, Eastbay was more than the Amazon marketplace of its time for the newest in athletic wear and sports jerseys. Its pages were a part of the fabric of sports culture for a generation."Me and my friends growing up, we used to love getting those magazines," Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James said. "And [dreamed of] hopefully being a part of some of the sneakers that were in there [too]. It was always cool."

ESPN

Foot Locker was so sure of his star power that it locked in an exclusive distribution agreement for the MB series, showcasing Ball’s latest model in elevated store wall displays and ramping up availability to more than 700 Foot Locker locations across the country. “It came at the right time for Puma and the right time for our relationship with them. It also came at a perfect time for basketball,” said Jed Berger, who was chief marketing officer of Foot Locker at the time of the interview in March and was named president of Kenneth Cole in August. “It’s really good for the sneaker industry when basketball is hot. It’s really good for the industry when multiple brands have talent that is doing great,” Berger said. “We have an amazing partnership with Puma, that is really focused around LaMelo.”

Andscape

Curry is embarking on an Australian promotion for Foot Locker and spoke with the two papers a couple of days ago. He said he’s seen Simmons working out and liked what he saw. “I have seen him in the facility a couple of times,” Curry said. “Just like I said, [he’s] been doing a lot of shooting, working, working on his body and being in the gym, so, from everything I have seen, hopefully, he will be out there ready to go come training camp.”

NetsDaily

Brooklyn Nets guard Seth Curry is coming to Australia as part of a promotional campaign with Under Armour and Foot Locker, and he will also host basketball skills and developmental camps for youths in both Sydney and Melbourne.

Sporting News

Atlanta Hawks hooper John Collins has high hopes for his clothing line ... telling TMZ Sports he wants his brand to reach iconic heights like Adidas and Supreme. 24-year-old Collins recently launched his very own line -- "The Baptist" -- which recently hit the shelves in places like Foot Locker and Champs. The former Wake Forest star tells us he's just getting started ... and his dream is to make his business a household name among some of the biggest clothing brands in the industry.

TMZ.com

Former general manager Billy King joined The Audacy NBA Show with Ryan McDonough and he explained what the Sixers would have to do to try and protect Iverson: When he was injured and we knew he couldn’t play we used to hide his jersey. Because he would come to the locker room looking for his jersey, we’d lock it somewhere so he couldn’t get it…. One time, in New York, he found his jersey but didn’t have any shoes. He was trying to send the ball boy to the Foot Locker around the corner. He said ‘just give me a pair of their Reeboks. I can play in those.’ Then he pointed to an attendant, ‘what size are you, just give me those shoes,’ because he wanted to play so bad.

USA Today

Cleveland Cavaliers sophomore Collin Sexton is quickly becoming a fan favorite. The guard teamed up with Foot Locker to surprise 20 outstanding students from the Foot Locker Scholar Athlete Program with $20,000 scholarships.

CavaliersNation.com

Chris Fedor: #Cavs Collin Sexton teamed up with Foot Locker to surprise 20 graduating students with $20,000 scholarships on a Zoom call m.youtube.com/watch?feature=…

Twitter

Ben Simmons’ Nike Blazer Mid ’77 Motivation debuts Thursday at House of Hoops by Foot Locker and online at footlocker.com. The 76ers point guard’s new sneaker is part of a Nike series recognizing the motivational phrases and pregame rituals of standouts that include Simmons, Dallas Mavericks point guard Luka Dončić, Sacramento Kings point guard De’Aaron Fox, and Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner.

inquirer.com