A community-first strategy to grow AJ Dybantsa's digital presence and build a loyal fan ecosystem that carries into his NBA career.
The #1 prospect in the 2025 class — and one of the most brand-ready athletes entering the NBA in years. Humble, hyper-disciplined, and genuinely community-first. He wants to build something lasting with his fans, not just a following. Kevin Durant is his idol. Nike is his partner. The community he builds now travels with him for his entire career.
AJ's identity — humble, family-first, team-before-self — is the foundation for every campaign decision. This is not about chasing virality. It's about building a community that lasts the length of a career.
Reach 1 million followers through strategic media partner amplification, giveaway campaigns hosted on WHOP, and borrowed audiences from creators with pre-existing Nike relationships.
Build a loyal core community through exclusive BTS access, pre-draft workout content, and a branded WHOP community hub with forum channels, exclusive lives, and text list integration.
Turn fans into invested stakeholders through the Shoe Vault collectibles campaign, Topps and Fanatics drops, Greenfly-measured fan submissions, and Foundation-linked charity moments.
Each pillar works independently and compounds together — giveaways drive new fans into the community, the community deepens engagement, the Vault creates cultural moments, and the NBA framework ensures nothing stops at the draft.
Partner with NBA Central (X), Sportsville (IG), Legion of Hoops (IG), and House of Highlights to amplify Nike shoe giveaways to targeted basketball audiences. WHOP hosts all entries and verification. Every entrant funnels into AJ's text community for ongoing access.
Weekly short-form "The Grind" Reels and TikToks. Biweekly long-form YouTube anchors. Centerpiece: put a major YouTuber or Nike-adjacent streamer through one of AJ's pre-draft workouts — both audiences see both creators. The Jaylen Brown × DDG model is the blueprint.
Every Nike worn from Tournament exit through Draft Night is numbered, tagged with game context, and preserved. The count builds publicly. On Draft Night the vault is revealed and shoes drop as Topps × Fanatics co-branded collectibles. Raffle tickets earned through WHOP engagement and text list activity.
The draft is the beginning. 82 games equals 82 structured fan engagement moments. Pre-game texts from AJ's Community platform. Post-game voice memos for WHOP members. Rookie Diaries YouTube series. All-Star fan vote campaign. Season-close vault drop for Year 1 collectors.
AJ's community hub lives on a fully branded, white-label WHOP page — giving fans one destination for exclusive access while giving the team a single platform to manage entries, engagement, content distribution, and analytics.
The WHOP page serves as the gravitational center that every campaign funnel flows into. Giveaway entries, Shoe Vault raffle tickets, exclusive Draft Night content, and live Q&As all live here — building a fan database that converts into long-term equity for AJ and his brand partners.
Build on WHOP →Dedicated discussion channels by topic — game reactions, fan submissions, Shoe Vault updates, and draft news. Fans stay engaged between content drops.
Members-only live streams — draft prep Q&As, workout recaps, Draft Night watch parties. Content not available anywhere else.
All Nike giveaway entries, Shoe Vault raffle tickets, and campaign verifications managed natively. Integrates with Greenfly for EMV tracking.
Fully custom AJ Dybantsa branding — his palette, logo, and imagery. Fans experience AJ's world, not a generic platform UI.
Text community subscribers funnel to WHOP for deeper engagement. The Nike shoe giveaway teaser is the proven entry hook already converting.
Engagement metrics feed into Greenfly's EMV reporting — proving AJ's community depth to future sponsors and partners.
Every pair of Nikes AJ trains in from the NCAA Tournament exit through Draft Night is logged as a numbered artifact — tagged with the date, location, and days out from the draft. The count builds publicly in real time, turning every workout into a community moment.
The moment AJ's final NCAA game ends, the vault opens. Workout Shoe #001 is logged — date, training location, and days remaining until draft night. The WHOP community is notified. The clock starts.
Each pair worn during pre-draft workouts is catalogued as its own entry: the date it was worn, the city or facility where AJ trained, and exactly how many days out from the draft it was. Photographed, numbered, and posted to WHOP.
Each new shoe drop triggers a WHOP community moment — a short BTS clip from the workout, a trainer note, or a post from AJ. Fans follow the journey in real time. Every entry earns active members another raffle ticket.
The final count is unveiled on AJ's WHOP live stream — the full journey from day one laid out chronologically: every city, every session, every pair. Media partners push the story simultaneously.
Each shoe becomes a numbered collectible released via Fanatics, with the date, location, and days-out-from-draft stamped on the card. Topps trading cards embed the same context. Select pairs auctioned for the AJ Dybantsa Foundation.
Organic product placement and authentic storytelling through every shoe in the vault. Deepens the Nike relationship into the NBA era at zero incremental cost.
Co-branded trading card drop per shoe with embedded stats and game context. Physical and digital versions available.
Official game-worn shoe auction and raffle platform. Global collector reach with draft-night narrative driving press coverage.
Select pairs auctioned for the AJ Dybantsa Foundation — Jamaica Relief and youth community programs. Values-first storytelling built in.
The pitch to every partner is framed as mutual value exchange — not a paid placement request. Exclusive BTS access and Nike prize inventory in exchange for amplification and audience.
| Partner | Platform | Audience | Activation |
|---|---|---|---|
| NBA Central | X / Twitter | NBA fans, highlight culture, mass reach | Nike shoe giveaway RT campaign tied to AJ's top Tournament plays |
| Sportsville | Sports betting + basketball community | Collab Reel: AJ's pre-draft predictions + Nike prize pack for new WHOP members | |
| Legion of Hoops | Hardcore basketball purists | BTS workout clip exclusive for their audience + entry via AJ's WHOP page | |
| House of Highlights | Instagram / YouTube | Mainstream sports audience | Draft countdown series — one exclusive clip per week through Draft Night |
| DDG / Neon / Agent 00 | YouTube / TikTok | Youth culture, crossover audience | Streamer put through AJ's pre-draft workout. Both post. Cross-audience acquisition. |
Five phases from now through AJ's NBA rookie season — each building on the last.
This is not a paid placement. It's a mutual investment in the next face of the NBA — before he gets there.
Whether you're a media partner, brand, or platform — there's a role in AJ's story. Reach out to discuss how we collaborate.