How Bleacher Report Maximized Its Final NBA Run

👋 Welcome back to Sponcon Sports, a weekly newsletter dedicated to sponsored content strategy in the sports industry!

After winning the 2008 NBA Finals, Kevin Garnett famously screamed, “anything is sponsorable!”

For legal reasons, he actually said, “Anything is possible!”

But honestly? That’s how I feel when I see how common — and creative — championship trophy sponsorships have become.

And these sponsorships deliver serious social value.

Just this weekend, FedEx sponsored the delivery of the Champions League trophy for both Festival Day ($120,401) and Match Day ($63,552).

The NFL’s Lombardi Trophy arrived in Philadelphia in a Tiffany & Co. bag ($67,718), complete with a custom key to unlock the case. 

Side note: Did you know Tiffany makes ~25 pro sports trophies — spanning three of the big four leagues, plus running and Esports?

Louis Vuitton built a signature trunk for the Australian Open trophy ($13,881) — and now does the same for F1 ($210,395).

And the Pop-Tarts Bowl? They teamed up with GE Appliances to create a working toaster trophy ($338,473). 

What ties these four activations together? Relevance. Each brand found a way to seamlessly show up in the moment — even if that moment involves a toaster.

Because trophies are symbols of ultimate success, they’re the perfect canvas for brand storytelling. The cherry on top? These trophy moments are tied to winning — which means high TV/streaming viewership and massive social engagement.

It’s just one slice of a bigger tentpole, but a smart trophy activation can deliver major brand exposure and a powerful association with excellence.

In Today’s Edition:

• Bleacher Report’s NBA Sendoff 🏀

• Bueckers’ Lasting Impact 🥹

• Clark Nets Dude Perfect Collab 👌 

🏊️ DEEP DIVE
Sponsor Wins From Bleacher Report’s Swan Song

TNT Sports Is Going Out Swinging

With the NBA’s Eastern Conference Finals marking the end of their run as a rightsholder, Bleacher Report (part of the Warner Brothers Discovery family) pulled out all the stops — and their sponsored content game has never looked better.

AT&T: Connected Cam + Content That Hit

To tip off the Knicks vs. Pacers matchup, Bleacher Report launched a Connected Cam platform sponsored by AT&T.

Headlining the campaign was a live Game 1 watch-along on their YouTube channel, hosted by 76ers rookie guard Jared McCain.

It was a hit! Sadly, it’s since been taken down — so you’ll have to take my word for it (and trust the 200K+ views shown in the image above).

Why did it work?

• They didn’t go live just to go live. McCain’s watch-along delivered a totally different experience — a second-screen stream that complemented the main broadcast.

• They picked the right host. McCain is a rising star whose social media savvy has him firmly locked in with Gen Z.

• They let him cook. He was joined by his friend Nate and his brother Jayce — both of whom regularly appear in his content. Plus, he had control of a dedicated camera at the game, switching between the traditional wide view and a locked-in angle on individual players.

• They didn’t ignore the chat. At just 20 years old, McCain is already a seasoned pro at fan engagement — and he actively responded to fans throughout the livestream.

• He brought credibility. As an active player, McCain offered relevant, real-time commentary on NBA topics — like foul-baiting — that fans actually care about.

But the cherry on top? The trio was live when Tyrese Haliburton hit a game-tying shot at the end of regulation to send it to overtime.

Their reactions were clipped and went viral — generating over 9M views across channels.

Was it lucky? Sure. But as Carlsberg Sponsorship Director Louise Bach said on last week’s Sports Marketeer podcast:

Louise was referencing the moment Liverpool’s Alisson Becker celebrated their Premier League title with a Carlsberg — a perfect brand moment, born out of smart placement and a little serendipity.

The same happened here. Bleacher Report took a swing with a player-led altcast — and when the game delivered, the moment paid off.

AT&T: Fan Moments That Connected

The rest of Bleacher Report’s sponsored content package included highlight integrations — but the fan experience really came to life through House of Highlights (a BR-owned property).

• At Madison Square Garden, fans had a choice: a Knicks jersey or a mystery envelope — leading to a story way bigger than just a seat upgrade.

• Out in Indianapolis, Pacers fans rolled for prizes ranging from a hat to merch — with a grand prize of free tickets to the game.

• Meanwhile on Instagram Stories, HoH brought back its infamous fan-challenge series (shown above), where the “best” Knicks fan took home a free Josh Hart jersey.

All of it was tied together by a consistent message: “During the NBA Playoffs, get the connectivity you depend on — backed by the AT&T guarantee.”

These fan-first ideas were the perfect complement to the livestream and highlight sponsorships.

They reached more casual fans — those less focused on every play — while creating opportunities to build real brand affinity.

Google: Trivia, Trends & Tunnel Fits

Bleacher Report’s sponsored content with Google did a great job showcasing how fans use the product through a sports lens.

The centerpiece was a series of fan trivia moments inspired by Google Search trends.

• Name the top five players with the most made three-pointers this season?

• How well do you know NBA defense trivia?

The third trivia activation appeared on Instagram Stories, where fans were quizzed (across 18 frames!) on NBA player nicknames — tied to the stat that “best NBA nicknames” was up +110% in Google Search this season.

BR kept reinforcing Google as the go-to for hoops knowledge — even spotlighting five wild Tyrese Haliburton stats, all sourced from trending searches.

But the final piece of the package might be my favorite.

Over on House of Highlights’ Instagram Stories, fans were asked to rate players’ best tunnel fits from the season.

The twist? By frame 3 of 11, they introduced Google Lens. They showed how fans could use image search to identify Jimmy Butler’s polo and pull up shoppable results in seconds.

Together, these activations positioned Google not just as a search engine, but as an essential tool for the modern NBA fan — helping them settle debates, discover trends, and even shop like their favorite players.

The Takeaway

From second-screen streams to shirt-spotting via Google Lens, BR showed how the right combination of talent, tech, and timing can turn content into capital — even in their broadcast swan song.

For Bleacher Report, this wasn’t just about filling inventory. It was about building brand love — by creating content that felt fun, relevant, and worth sharing.

🔍️ SPONCONSPIRATION
Steal These Ideas

[Social Value: $65,431] In 2022, Paige Bueckers launched food markets with Chegg to support communities battling food insecurity. Three years later, Verizon brought members of those same communities to surprise Paige and share how her impact has lasted.

[Social Value: $366,934] Dude Perfect teamed up with Caitlin Clark for “50 Ways to Make a Three,” sponsored by Gainbridge—one of Clark’s partners. The video was full of creative signage and fast, integrated brand callouts.

[Social Value: $8,085] Speaking of Caitlin Clark, the Indiana Fever used their TJ Maxx tunnel walks to support IndyHumane, featuring adoptable dogs during that night’s game.

[Social Value: $8,547] We’re going heavy on Indiana this week! The Pacers rolled out the gold carpet for Hans Perez—the fan who went viral for rocking a Tyrese Haliburton jersey at MSG—with help from Indianapolis International Airport and the Indianapolis Fire Department.

[Social Value: $23,063] Ferrari F1 driver Charles Leclerc tested an AI-generated track he designed with Real Time Race Track, powered by Amazon Nova. You can try the track yourself here.

[Social Value: $2,073] Japan Airlines hosted football creator Adi Azran at Cosm in LA for a Liverpool watch party—part of a sweepstakes giving California Reds fans the chance to win flights to see the team take on AC Milan at Kai Tak Stadium this summer.

*Social value is defined as the full equivalent media value of this social post based on applicable impressions, video views, and engagements.

🚨 ICYMI
What To Watch For

Fan-First Sponcon: STN Digital CEO David Brickley shared tips on how to maximize sponsorships without making fans cringe [via Sports Business Journal].

YouTube Channel Growth: Rachel Karten interviewed Snowball founder Ryan Hashemi about what it really takes to grow a YouTube channel—covering common brand mistakes, content tips, and startup costs [via Link In Bio].

Dashing To Tipoff: The NBA is exploring new sponsor integrations—including game links inside partner platforms like DoorDash—to give fans more entry points and reminders to watch. [via Awful Announcing].

Creator Roster Building: Neil Tennant shared a smart framework for classifying creators based on brand affinity and audience reach—making it easier to build more strategic and authentic influencer campaigns.s. [via Paid Partnership Newsletter].

Scrum Streaming: YouTuber Tim Cocker landed UK and Ireland streaming rights for France’s Pro D2 rugby league. Matches will stream for free on his channel, Eggchasers Rugby.

Tour de Stay: Airbnb signed a three-year deal with the Tour de France, unlocking exclusive platform experiences that connect fans, athletes, and local communities.

Virtual Victory Lap: Nick Rend, NASCAR’s VP of Interactive and Emerging Platforms, recapped a wild first 100 days in Roblox, with fan engagement metrics that look straight out of a video game.