Authentic Brands' Takeover of Fanatics Fest
New York belonged to sports fans this July. Fanatics Fest NYC, held at Javits Center, returned July 16 through July 19 as one of the venue's largest events of the year, drawing athletes, collectors and fans to the same floor. Authentic's portfolio was front and center, bringing unique activations, apparel drops and live experiences to NYC’s sports community. Panel discussions and curated brand reveals carried the energy from the convention floor into the streets.
Shaquille O’Neal’s DUNKMAN: Built From the Ground Up
“DUNKMAN,” Shaquille O'Neal's first professional league, built around the art of dunking, is finally here. Founded and commissioned by O'Neal in 2025, “DUNKMAN” took over the Outfield Stage on Friday with a live exhibition, a press conference introducing four of its 24 competitors, headlined by three-time NBA Slam Dunk Contest champion Mac McClung, and a live recording of The Big Podcast with NBA rookie Cooper Flagg. O'Neal opened the day in conversation with Authentic Founder, Chairman and CEO Jamie Salter and Boardroom's Rich Kleiman on the festival's main floor.
“DUNKMAN” presides over a 24-player field that includes three-time NBA Slam Dunk Contest champion Mac McClung. Four groups of six, including talent such as Dengxing Chen, Tyler Currie, Isaiah Rivera, Mac McClung and more, will compete for the grand title. Four weekly Tuesday events lead to the world championships on August 25, where a panel of judges will award a $500,000 grand prize. The series enlists Host Adam Lefkoe alongside Vince Carter, Draymond Green and tastemaker CashNasty, with sponsors Lilly and Credit One Bank presenting. O'Neal also built the Dunkman League in partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery and Authentic Studios.
Days before "DUNKMAN" made the leap to primetime on TNT Sports, O’Neal previewed the league's star power at Fanatics Fest. Darius Clark, already the Guinness World Record holder for the highest vertical leap, broke his own world record with a 53-inch vertical jump in front of a roaring crowd, taking home a cash prize awarded by O’Neal.
The leap previewed exactly the athleticism the franchise was built to showcase. On July 21, "DUNKMAN" premiered on TNT with Group A competing under the league's new scoring system. Cam Hazzard, a 20-year-old Texan, won the night with a best score of 9.55, claiming $25,000 and the first berth in the world championship. The next week, Dillan McCarthy, a 19-year-old from Sayre, Pennsylvania, won "DUNKMAN's" Group B qualifier on Tuesday. Two weekly qualifiers now build toward the August 25 finale and its $500,000 grand prize. What Fanatics Fest witnessed live, audiences around the world can now watch in primetime.
Reebok Reunites With Shaquille O’Neal as DUNKMAN's Official Outfitter
Reebok unveiled the all-new "DUNKMAN" kit at Fanatics Fest as the league's official sponsor and outfitter, days ahead of the franchise’s TNT premiere. Reebok continues to honor basketball's longest-running connection by reuniting O'Neal with the brand he wore in his rookie season. The designs pay homage to the commissioner himself, anchored by the No. 34 that defined O’Neal’s era with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Darius Clark ushered in the kit’s on-court debut, sporting the custom jersey alongside Reebok's Engine A26, a basketball silhouette engineered for liftoff.
Champion Drafts a New Generation of Fans
Champion opened the festival, debuting the Disney | Champion NFL Collection, a first-of-its-kind collaboration pairing all 32 NFL teams with characters from Disney, Pixar, Star Wars and Marvel.
The reveal came through the Disney Fan Draft, a live reimagining of the NFL Draft hosted by Commissioner Roger Goodell and broadcaster Taylor Rooks, where stars including Tom Brady, Fernando Mendoza, Emmitt Smith and Rob Gronkowski put the first eight picks on the board: Woody to the Cowboys, Captain America to the Patriots, Darth Vader to the Raiders and Buzz Lightyear to the Jets among them, each pairing built from team history, city culture and fan tradition.
Fans were invited to browse and shop the first drop all weekend long at the Disney | Champion Fan Zone, complete with character appearances and exciting photo moments. The line, including T-shirts, crewnecks and sweatshirts, arrives August 24 across Fanatics, NFL Shop, Disney Store and select Lids locations. For Champion, the collaboration landed the sportswear brand at the height of summer fandom.
Sports Illustrated Turns the Festival's Front Door Into a Gallery
At the Javits Center's main entrance, Sports Illustrated reproduced its most iconic covers at full scale as an immersive gallery, inviting fans to step inside the moments that continue to shape sports history, along with the cultural stories that extended beyond the game. For a publication that has documented sport's defining moments for more than seven decades, the installation translated archival authority into a physical experience.
The gallery drew notable visitors throughout the weekend, none more resonant than Lonnie Ali, who toured the display honoring Muhammad Ali's celebrated SI covers and lent the exhibition a moment of genuine weight. From the first point of arrival to the weekend's closing sessions, Sports Illustrated maintained a defining presence across the festival, and its weekend did not end at the convention floor.
Beckham, Zidane and Zlatan: spORTS iLLUSTRATED and EA Sports Convene Soccer Royalty at the House of Football
Sports Illustrated partnered with EA Sports to present House of Football in New York City, and the evening produced a first: David Beckham, Zinedine Zidane and Zlatan Ibrahimović in conversation together for the inaugural recording of Icons of Football. The three discussed the careers that defined an era of the global game and where the sport is heading. The full episode is now available on EA Sports' YouTube channel and Spotify.
The SI Portrait Studio served as the evening's featured experience, photographing guests in the brand's signature editorial style. George and Claire Kittle, Winnie Harlow, Russell Wilson, Folarin Balogun and Weston McKennie were among those captured, while Diplo provided the evening's soundtrack.
Diplo performed one night before he closed SI's Beyond the Pitch series at Cipriani Wall Street. The event extended SI's championship-week presence across New York, placing the brand at the center of one of the tournament's most-watched gatherings.
Kevin Hart cLAIMS THE COLDEST SEAT AT FANATICS FEST: “Cold as Balls”
Kevin Hart claimed the coldest seat at Fanatics Fest. Across the weekend, Hart filmed new episodes of "Cold as Balls," the interview series that blends sport, entertainment and pop culture, in front of a live festival audience, with featured guests including Serena Williams, Rob Gronkowski and NBA rookie Cooper Flagg. The tapings mark a new chapter for the franchise: the episodes are officially coming to Netflix later this summer.
Hart's weekend reached well beyond the set. He opened the Fanatics Games, appeared at the tournament's press conference and across the festival's marquee programming. Few figures move between sport and entertainment as fluidly as Hart, and the weekend demonstrated his ability to claim any stage and any audience as his own.
David Beckham Brings BEEUP to Fanatics Fest for a Buzzy Meet and Greet
David Beckham paired one of the weekend's most anticipated appearances with a taste of BEEUP. Beckham ran a dedicated sampling activation across the Javits Center through Sunday, supported by playful mascot appearances on the floor.
Beckham hosted a backstage meet-and-greet with visiting families, who left with the brand's latest assorted products. Beckham’s festival appearances built toward Friday night's House of Football, where he joined Sports Illustrated and EA Sports to spotlight soccer’s greatest icons.
Four days, one floor, and an entire portfolio in motion. Fanatics Fest NYC put the sports world in a single building, and Authentic's brands met it at every turn: a league born in 2025 leaping to primetime, a draft night shared by Darth Vader and Tom Brady, an immersive gallery, and three soccer icons in conversation for the first time. Fanatics Fest weekend showcased where fandom and culture meet, Authentic's brands are already there, driving the conversations and experiences that bring local communities together.