SportsCenter NEXT has tapped standout young athletes Kaleena Smith and Beckham Black for a new content and merchandise initiative celebrating the intersection of high school sports culture, fashion, and an emergent sector of sports fandom.

As part of the collaboration, Smith and Black will serve as the faces of SportsCenter NEXT‘s newest merchandise collection, developed alongside ESPN Creative Studio and available for purchase at merch.espn.com. The project features interviews and behind-the-scenes content with the two athletes captured in collaboration with Paragon Sports Marketing and showcases a blend of sports, culture and style that speaks to ESPN’s commitment to audience expansion.

“The SportsCenter NEXT brand brings youth culture and sports to life on a daily basis,” said Kaitee Daley, Senior Vice President of Social, Digital and Streaming Content at ESPN. “It made all the sense in the world to team up with Kaleena and Beckham as they bring their A-game to audience connection both on and off the court.”

Additional campaign content will roll out across SportsCenter and ESPN social platforms, featuring photography and digital assets supporting the launch of the new collection.

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