Fanatics announced an exclusive partnership with Mavericks G Luka Doncic, who will join the company's group of athletes under its memorabilia division, Fanatics Authentic. This marks the first exclusive memorabilia deal for Doncic, and Fanatics will become the sole distributor of officially licensed Doncic items including signed jerseys, basketballs and photos (Fanatics).
STORM SURGE: ADWEEK's Erik Oster noted Serena Williams stars in a new 60-second spot for Lincoln from Hudson Rouge, N.Y., which ran during the '19 Grammy Awards last night. In the ad, as a thunderstorm "rages around her, Williams finds herself at peace in the cabin of her Lincoln Navigator." Ford's luxury brand named Williams its "new brand ambassador nearly a year ago, and she subsequently appeared in an anthem ad documenting her return to tennis" (ADWEEK.com, 2/8).
SECURE THE BAG: The WALL STREET JOURNAL's Jacob Gallagher noted NBAers are using dopp kits to "cart toiletries into the locker room," and the bags have "taken on an outsize importance" in highlighting a player's status. The sometimes $700-plus "leather wash bags, often splashed" with logos, can "rival a children's shoebox in size." Pacers G Victor Oladipo in an email wrote a dopp kit can "make or break an outfit." Gallagher: "Even though the walk from the bus to the locker room lasts mere minutes, when a high-profile hoopster carries a brand's dopp kit, the label gets its own profile boost" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 2/10).
