The National Basketball Association and Rhone, a performance lifestyle brand that champions mental fitness, signs a multi-year global marketing partnership.
Rhone has enlisted NBA Champion and five-time All-Star Kevin Love as a brand ambassador to raise awareness of mental fitness.
There are several brands that are creating merchandise to help support mental health awareness in their own unique ways. Since it was launched a decade back, Rhone has worked to destigmatize mental health issues. Today, the brand has enlisted NBA Champion and five-time All-Star Kevin Love as a brand ambassador to launch a campaign designed to raise awareness of mental and physical wellbeing. The campaign inspires viewers to prioritise their mental health as part of Rhone’s mission to positively impact over a hundred million lives.
Love, a power forward for the Miami Heat, experienced a panic attack during a game and since then he has been candid about his anxiety issues. To address it, he established a nonprofit organisation, Kevin Love Fund, which works to break the stigma surrounding mental health, offering tools that prioritise it alongside physical health.
“If you’re having a hard time, I want to remind you that you’re not alone. Sharing what you’re going through could be the most important thing you do. It was for me.” – Kevin Love
“I’m proud to partner with Rhone in our shared commitment to shining a light on the importance of mental health,” said Kevin Love. “Physical fitness has always been a priority for athletes, but mental fitness is just as critical to success, both on and off the court. Together with Rhone, we’re working to break down the stigma around mental health and show that real strength comes from taking care of the mind and body equally.”
Nate Checketts, Chief Executive at Rhone, said in a statement: “We’re thrilled to be partnering with the NBA and Kevin Love. This has been a dream for me since we launched Rhone a decade ago. This collaboration represents a powerful opportunity to connect with the dedicated NBA community and champion the importance of mental fitness, of which Kevin is a fierce advocate, together.”
As part of its deal with the NBA, Rhone will produce custom content for the NBA Fitness platform, an app based on health and fitness, furthering its commitment to uplifting both physical and emotional resilience by promoting it across channels and reaching millions of NBA athletes, coaches, and fans.
Rhone will feature its Commuter Shirt throughout the partnership with the league. The Commuter Shirt, crafted from premium fabrics, is designed to meet the demands of fans who value apparel that works as hard as they do.
Rhone will also produce licensed dress shirts featuring NBA and team logos, which will be available for purchase shortly.
“Rhone has introduced an innovative product and a new category for the league that fittingly supports the NBA’s active fanbase,” said Lisa Piken Koper, Head of Apparel and Sporting Goods at the NBA. “Our collaboration with Rhone stems from our shared mission in helping advance both physical and mental well-being, which we look forward to building upon through Rhone’s custom content across NBA Fitness.”
Since being founded in 2014, Rhone has remained steadfast in its mission to champion mental fitness. In April 2018, the NBA launched Mind Health, the league’s program to humanise mental health and position it as an essential element of wellness and excellence both on and off the court.
“We’re thrilled to be partnering with the NBA and Kevin Love,” said Nate Checketts, CEO, Rhone. “This has been a dream for me since we launched Rhone a decade ago. This collaboration represents a powerful opportunity to connect with the dedicated NBA community and champion the importance of mental fitness, of which Kevin is a fierce advocate, together.”
Rhone positively impacts life by championing mental fitness
Founded in 2014, Rhone is a performance lifestyle brand dedicated to championing Mental Fitness. Engineered for style, comfort, and performance, the clothing is designed to enhance every aspect of the active individual’s life.
Led by brothers Nate and Ben Checketts, Rhone is fueled by a clear vision: positively impacting lives through a commitment to mental fitness, inspiring community, and crafting performance-driven products. Rhone’s vision is straightforward yet impactful: to inspire those who challenge themselves in their relentless pursuit of progress.
In addition to a robust e-commerce business and a strong wholesale presence, Rhone has fifteen retail stores across the U.S., all of which are used for building community through various initiatives such as the brand’s signature Mind and Muscle events.
Kevin Love destigmatises mental health challenges
Kevin Love is an advocate for mental health awareness
Kevin Love, World Champion and five-time All-Star, is a forward for the Miami Heat of the NBA and founder of the Kevin Love Fund, a mental health non-profit. His career began in 2008 when Love joined the Minnesota Timberwolves. With the Timberwolves, Love emerged as one of the league’s premier power forwards, earning multiple All-Star selections, establishing himself as a double-double machine, and winning gold medals at the 2010 FIBA World Championship and the 2012 Summer Olympics.
However, it was Love’s tenure with the Cleveland Cavaliers that cemented his legacy in NBA history. Joining forces with LeBron James and Kyrie Irving, Love played a pivotal role in the Cavaliers’ championship run in 2016, capturing the franchise’s first-ever NBA title.
Beyond his accomplishments on court, Love has been an advocate for mental health awareness. In 2018, he penned a powerful essay for The Players’ Tribune, detailing his struggles with anxiety and depression. His candidness sparked a widespread conversation about mental health in professional sports and inspired many individuals to seek help.
In the same year, Love established the Kevin Love Fund, a nonprofit organisation dedicated to promoting mental health education and providing resources to those in need. Love has been awarded the ESPY Arthur Ashe Courage Award, Change Maker Award by the Child Mind Institute, the NBA Cares Assist Award, and was a ESPY Muhammad Ali Sports Humanitarian Award finalist due to his work in the mental health space.
Since, the Kevin Love Fund has launched several impactful programs, including a free evidence-based SEL curriculum tailored for students. This was developed to combat the growing mental health pandemic and to support students in destigmatising mental health challenges.
Whether he’s dominating the court or championing mental health awareness, Kevin Love continues to inspire and impact lives, leaving an indelible mark on the NBA and society as a whole.
Jasmeen Dugal is Associate Editor at FashionABC, contributing her insights on fashion, technology, and sustainability. She brings with herself more than two decades of editorial experience, working for national newspapers and luxury magazines in India.
Jasmeen Dugal has worked with exchange4media as a senior writer contributing articles on the country’s advertising and marketing movements, and then with Condenast India as Net Editor where she helmed Vogue India’s official website in terms of design, layout and daily content. Besides this, she is also an entrepreneur running her own luxury portal, Explosivefashion, which highlights the latest in luxury fashion and hospitality.
