![\"Nets](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/IMG_2450-e1783355863171.jpg\" "\\"Nets'")
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Photo: Dylan Christie\/AMNY<\/p>\n
June was a memorable month for New York basketball. While Knicks fans are riding high after winning their first NBA championship in 53 years, Nets fans shifted their attention to the future as the NBA draft brought in their next generation of talent.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The future made their first appearance as the Nets introduced their three draft picks \u2014 sixth overall pick Mikel Brown Jr., along with 28th overall pick Joshua Jefferson and second rounder Tyler Bilodeau \u2014 at the Brooklyn Basketball Training Center. Fans and members of the Nets organization welcomed the newcomers.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For the Nets, introducing their future was about more than being on the court. It is building relationships between players and the Brooklyn community firsthand, according to senior vice president of marketing at Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment, Becky Kimbro.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe firmly believe that players build much stronger connections with fans when they actually have an opportunity to engage face to face with those fans,\u201d Kimbro said. \u201cThat\u2019s why it was super important to us to do a clinic at our Brooklyn basketball training center [on Monday] and not just tour them around in a car or have them watch content about Brooklyn.\u201d<\/p>\n
After answering questions from young fans, the three rookies signed autographs and led a basketball clinic using drills and games to build relationships with the next generation of supporters.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you get players in front of young kids who are interested in the sport, there\u2019s an element of that that the players can connect to really immediately and authentically,\u201d Kimbro said. \u201cThese players were at one point themselves young fans who were interested in the game of basketball \u2026 It gives the players just sort of a way to feel comfortable right off the bat.\u201d<\/p>\n
A priority for the Nets organization is creating a team culture where every player, regardless of NBA experience, feels connected. That starts with everybody being integrated equally.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Brooklyn\u2019s culture gives fans a chance to connect with players and relate to them beyond basketball, even over simple things like food.\u00a0\u00a0\n<\/p>\n
\u201cEverything has been great. It was the best food ever,\u201d Brown said about local food spots in Brooklyn.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n
Teaching new players about the borough\u2019s identity is crucial to helping build further connections in the city they\u2019re relatively new to, having only been in Brooklyn since 2012. Being able to adjust to the constantly evolving and changing borough brings fans closer to the team.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cEverything we do as an organization is focused on building long-term, generational fandom,\u201d Kimbro said.\u00a0 \u201cWe know that trust and loyalty aren\u2019t built overnight; they come from consistently showing up for the community in authentic ways. We\u2019re committed to celebrating, supporting, and serving the people who call this borough home.\u201d<\/p>\n