Photo by Markus Sipske on Unsplash
DraftKings Names Set Free Richardson as NBA Culture Creative Director
May 31, 2024
DraftKings has announced that it has named Set Free Richardson, a multi-hyphenate with a long and storied history in hip-hop culture, as its new NBA culture creative director.
In a press release shared with RetailWire, the sportsbook giant revealed that Richardson’s role in the company would include a multi-pronged approach to engage celebrities in the music, sports, and fashion world to help solidify the company’s presence in the mainstream zeitgeist.
Richardson, a Clio Award-winning (2023 Clio Sports Bronze) multidimensional professional who got his start in the streetball culture of the early 1990s, first came to prominence in the mainstream with the release of the AND1 Mixtapes. According to Revolt, the AND1 Mixtapes were the first to marry basketball and hip-hop and are considered one of the most successful retail promotions in American history, moving over 200,000 copies of the debut mixtape within three weeks of its release.
DraftKings’ new NBA culture creative director will also spearhead the creation of new basketball-inspired merchandise and events for the company’s members. He first went into partnership with the sportsbook company back in 2022, spearheading the Starting Five promotion, which featured conversations with some of hip-hop’s biggest stars talking about the genre’s love of basketball and its ties to cultural elements.
“Set Free has an incredible track record for bringing creative ideas, brands and people together with the purpose to connect to culture through art, fashion, music, sports and more,” said Michael Shonkoff, DraftKings vice president of brand marketing. “We are thrilled to continue to work closely with Set Free in this newly created role to deliver elevated basketball experiences for our customers.”
The announcement comes on the heels of the NBA Finals, and the company said that it hopes Richardson’s new role will experience a maximum impact.
This isn’t the first time that DraftKings attempted to break into the larger cultural zeitgeist. Back in 2020, the sportsbook betting company attempted to brand itself on a large scale by selling gift cards at convenience stores, in a partnership with InComm Payments. The goal was to encourage betting on the platform by users loading cash onto the cards, then placing their bets using the gift cards.
Recent News
