The 80th NBA season begins next week and for the first time in more than 20 years there will be no king.
LeBron James, the oldest player in the league, will be out at least until mid-November due to sciatica in his right side. For the Lakers, the news is terrible. Since King James brought his talents to Los Angeles in 2018, the team has won 60% of the games it plays and only 42% of the games it doesn't. As for what the superstar's absence means for a league starting without him for the first time since 2002, it's another reminder that no matter how great the superstar is, Father Time is undefeated.
One day, 40-year-old James will retire and the league will have a new face.
And apparently great looking skin too.
That's because CeraVe, one of the world's largest skincare brands, and the NBA announced a multi-year partnership this month. So this season, if you think the star players are shining brighter than ever, that's probably why.
In addition to using players and social media influencers to promote healthy skin care practices on social media and at league events, CeraVe products will be in locker rooms. This partnership doesn't help James and Co. shake off criticism that the league has become soft over the years, but it does ensure that no player will ever have to play with ashy elbows again.
Even more important to the league's longevity is that it expands the NBA's global appeal through lifestyle branding.
In 2023, men spent nearly $14 billion on skin care products worldwide. By 2030, that figure is expected to nearly double. Since men are expected to moisturize more anyway, the NBA (the league with the slimmest uniforms of any major sports league in America) should be in the skin game.
“At CeraVe, we are absolutely thrilled to join forces with the NBA because, like them, we believe in championing performance and well-being,” Esther Garcia, CeraVe's US general manager, said in a press release, adding that the partnership “is an exciting opportunity to reach a truly unparalleled audience: an audience that is passionate, engaged, incredibly diverse and truly values performance. especially when it comes to the skin barrier, from head to toe.”
The skin is the largest organ in our body, so wanting to take care of it should be natural, but apparently it is not, especially in the case of men. Using NBA players isn't a bad way to draw attention to some healthier habits. In fact, former Laker Anthony Davis has been a spokesperson for the company for years, and former Laker Danny Green stars in social media posts promoting the partnership.
If that sounds like a stretch, remember that Hanes used a catchy jingle and the popularity of Michael Jordan to convince American men to buy the brand's underwear. So yes, I'd say it's a smart bet for CeraVe to believe that an entire league of well-groomed men could give the company an edge over its competition in skin care.
It's a very global market: South Asia represents 52% of the sector, and the NBA has spent more than 30 years growing the sport in that part of the world. So even if most gym rats in America don't care if their ankles look like baked clay, there are plenty of other markets to make this partnership worthwhile.
However, my favorite part of this story has something to do with what Garcia said about the power of diversity.
CeraVe started in 2005, the same year James made his first All-Star Game appearance, and was acquired by L'Oreal in 2017. However, while James' popularity predates the NBA, the skin care company didn't gain significant traction until Hyram Yarbro, a budding makeup artist, began sharing product reviews on TikTok during the pandemic.
Their posts were not only fun, but also informative, explaining why the ingredients in the products were effective in treating dry or acne-prone skin. So while Facebook and TV commercials focused on ads for wrinkles and dark spot removal, their social media posts spoke the language of Generation Z when it came to skin care.
Today, CeraVe is worth more than a billion dollars and we won't have to see knees that look like tree bark, largely because Yarbro (a gay man who grew up as a Mormon rancher in Arizona) said the company's products were fantastic. Talk about the benefits of diversity, equity and inclusion.
YouTube: @LZGrandersonShow
