Rumors

Justin Martinez: Jared McCain and his best friend, Nate Thai, have partnered with Hinge for its “How We Friend” campaign. The campaign spotlights Gen Z friendship, and the two discuss how they make space for vulnerability while maintaining their playful nature.  McCain on his friendship with Thai: “A big misconception about male friendship in general is they don’t talk about their feelings. I’m pretty good about expressing how I feel to him, and I think he knows how much he means to me.”

x.com

For Gen Z, born between the late 1990s and early 2010s, it’s a completely different ballgame. “It’s really that fandom at the athlete level,” said Joe Flowers, PMG’s Director of Integrated Strategy. “Finding out who are those star personalities? Who are the ones that are dominating your social media feeds? Who were the ones whose highlight reel clips you kept seeing over and over again? Who are the ones who are on the cover of FIFA or on the cover of Madden and had the really cool jersey that you wanted to wear because all your friends were wearing it too?” Flowers noted the recent example of LeBron James fans, who have rooted for him everywhere he goes and have little care for the fate of his former teams.

New York Times

Confirming one of the sneaker industry’s worst-kept secrets, Nike has officially announced that it’s adding Memphis Grizzlies superstar guard Ja Morant to its signature roster. The brand has designated Morant as its ‘first Gen Z’ signature athlete, touting him as a revolutionary player who is setting the tone for modern basketball culture.

complex.com

Four of Gen Z’s five favorite sports figures, based on an open-ended survey question, were either former or current NBA players. Seven months after his death, late Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant (51 selections) topped current Lakers star LeBron James (46 selections) as the most popular athletic icon among young fans.

Morning Consult