Latest news with #MichaelRubin
New York Times
09-07-2025
- Business
- New York Times
Top NBA prospect AJ Dybantsa signs exclusive deal with Fanatics, explains BYU choice
Fanatics and Fanatics Collectibles announced Wednesday they've signed incoming BYU freshman AJ Dybantsa to a multi-year exclusive deal, dubbing the pact one of the company's 'most significant NIL deals ever.' Dybantsa, 18, is a top candidate to become the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. The partnership starts immediately, according to Fanatics, focusing on trading cards and memorabilia and will extend beyond Dybantsa's collegiate career. Advertisement 'Me and my family really just take time with these deals we get,' Dybantsa told The Athletic when asked why he signed with Fanatics. 'We don't just go for any brand. It's kind of more than just the brand itself. It's kind of who's running it, who's behind it. We're big family people, so how the brand is like a family connection, and we think we met those standards with Omar (Wilkes, head of athlete partnerships for Fanatics Collectibles) and Michael (Rubin, Fanatics CEO).' Fanatics signing top NBA draft prospects to exclusive deals is a continuing trend for the company, following agreements with Victor Wembanyama and Cooper Flagg. On the women's side, Fanatics also signed USC's JuJu Watkins to an exclusive deal earlier this year. Dybantsa is fresh off an MVP performance in helping Team USA win the FIBA U19 World Cup in Switzerland on Sunday by beating Germany in the finals. For trading cards, the deal will include autographs, game-used jerseys, inscriptions and being involved in brand marketing campaigns. According to Fanatics Collectibles, Dybantsa will be in a number of upcoming products, among them Bowman U Now and other Bowman offerings. Topps, owned by Fanatics, is set to take over the NBA licensing for trading cards in October, taking it away from Panini. This means collectors can acquire NBA autographed cards with team logos and names attached for Flagg and eventually Dybantsa. That wasn't the case for Wembanyama, whose autographed rookie cards appeared on unlicensed Topps products. Below is a selection of questions and answers from the 6-foot-9 forward's interview with The Athletic about collecting, NIL, BYU, and potentially being the No. 1 pick in next year's NBA Draft: How big are you into card collecting at all? I was when I was younger. I used to collect cards, but ever since then I haven't really haven't done too much. I liked NBA, NFL, MLB (cards), but I haven't been doing too much about that. … I probably had a crazy Charizard or something like that. Advertisement Do you see yourself maybe collecting yourself or do you think, nah, maybe not? Yeah. I might collect myself. I can pull for myself. It might be cool. Would you go chasing after cards? Maybe go try to buy it yourself? I don't know if I'll buy my own card, but if he was willing to give it to me for free, I'll take it. Who are some of the players that you've modeled your game after that you admire and inspire? My favorite player since growing up has been Kevin Durant. I tried to model my game after various guys, though, like Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, Tracy McGrady, now Shai (Gilgeous-Alexander). Just those types of big wings, big guards. In terms of a basketball program and a brand, what drew you to attend BYU? With the staff they had, (BYU head coach) Kevin Young has coached my favorite player. He's also coached Chris Paul, Joel Embiid, Devin Booker. Those types of guys. My ultimate goal is to go to the NBA, so why not try to get that knowledge earlier, before I get there and try to be the most prepared for when I get there. How much have you been in touch with people along the way for guidance? When I come across them, you know, I ask questions. Our life, we practice a little bit (for the NBA), but nothing has even come close to even starting there so I'm just excited to play college basketball. I'm not too worried about the whole process. But I've talked to guys like Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Paolo (Banchero). They shared their experiences going through the draft process. How do you juggle being a player and then having NIL commitments? It's good that players can make money off of their brand. They should have (before recently). I know a lot of players wish that they were younger so they can have the opportunity. I think it should have been applied a while ago, but I think it's a great add on for athletes, not just basketball, generating however much money from fans, from games and ticket sales and everything. They should get a piece, so this is exciting that you can make money off of your name. Advertisement What are some of the things on the court you could work on? What are some of the things that you really feel like suit you for the college game and for the next level? I've got a lot of stuff to work on. Just improving my shot, making quicker reads. Obviously, these guys are stronger, older and smarter. So just doing everything quicker and more precisely because this is not high school. They're not going to just let me do whatever I want. … I'm just getting in shape. Obviously we're above sea level by 5,000-plus feet. So it's getting in shape being able to withstand playing a full 40-minute college game. Getting used to the 3-point line being farther. Doing everything at a faster pace on a college level. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence in all our coverage. When you click or make purchases through our links, we may earn a commission.
Memri
03-07-2025
- Politics
- Memri
The Qatar Weekly Update (QWU) – Part Of The Qatar Monitor Project (QMP) – No. 26, July 4, 2025
Michael Rubin in the Somaliland Chronicle 1. Qatar's Hypocrisy On Somaliland, Michael Rubin in Somaliland Chronicle, July 2, 2025. 2. MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 12050, Article On Website Of Qatar-Backed International Union For Muslim Scholars (IUMS), Supported By Qatar And Turkey: Iran's Victory Is The Defeat Of The U.S. And Its European Allies, Who Are The Cause Of All Our Troubles, July 1, 2025. 3. MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 12055, Unusual Article In Qatari Government Daily Criticizes Iran Following Its Attack On CENTCOM Base In Qatar: We Do Not Fear Conflict With Iran, July 2, 2025. 4. Qatar Must Not Be Allowed To Play Any Role In Gaza, Gatestone Institute, July 3, 2025. 5. Doha's Quantum Threat: How Qatar May Be Buying Access To America's Most Powerful Computing Technology, Tablet, June 30, 2025. 6. Doha Said To Have Instructed Some Hamas Leaders To Give Up Their Personal Weapons, The Times, July 2, 2025. 7. Israel Middle Expert Professor M. Kadar Calls On Saudi Arabia To Overthrow Qatar's Pro-Terror Rulers, YouTube, July 2, 2025. * Yigal Carmon is Founder and President of MEMRI.
Daily Mail
26-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Travis Scott says he jetted to another country to buy a luxury bag - spending '$300K on gas' in the process
Travis Scott has revealed he flew to another country just for a designer bag, and spent '$300K on gas' to do so. Attending a panel at Fanatics Fest on Friday as a special guest, the rapper, 34, spoke about brand partnerships and collaborations alongside the company's founder and CEO Michael Rubin and Tom Brady. When asked about what brand partnerships they liked, Scott said: 'I liked everything that Marc Jacobs did when he was at Louis Vuitton.' Rubin then interrupted Scott to ask him, 'Did you get on an airplane and fly to pick up an LV Murakami bag to Paris from LA?' - referring to Louis Vuitton's popular collab with Japanese artist Takashi Murakami. Travis then smiled and replied, 'Yeah,' according to an eyewitness. Rubin continued to call him out about the swanky purchase he flew abroad for. Rubin told the crowd: 'The guy spent about $300K on gas to pick up a bag that he was so excited about. So, I'm just saying, when he likes something, he goes all in.' Travis explained: 'Yeah, I think that was just something that was fresh. [The] 2000s energy was just crazy. But yeah, if I focus something, I go pull up and get it, for sure. But that's something that's actually... that's crazy.' The rapper has been a longtime fan of Louis Vuitton, having been photographed with the brand's bags in the past. He even returned to France's capital in January to attend Louis Vuitton's Menswear show during Paris Fashion Week. Speaking on his own past collaborations - he has famously partnered with brands like Nike, McDonald's, and Reese's Puffs - he said that every brand he links up with is 'something I've been into since I've been a kid'. He shared: 'So kind of being able to grow up and take what's in your brain or what you played with as a kid and see it, like, how you wanted to see it as a kid now to life is kind of cool. And I just always wanted to bring the energy. 'I always feel like I tell Rubin this all the time - high corporations always forget about the people sometimes and what they really want. You know what I mean? And so, it's just always cool to just give the people what the f*** they want instead of all this random s***.' When asked about the future of collaborations, Travis said: 'I think it's about trusting the youth and allowing them to step in the seat and giving them some sort of creative reigns. 'I think that's the next level of, like, collaboration instead of the one-off partnerships. You know, opening the doors a little bit to more of people that have the real ideas and getting in that lane really just to go off.' Following the 15-minute panel, everyone left the stage and the lights went out. Travis's DJ then took to the stage at the Javits Center and the rapper performed a surprise set - with guests (who had their phones locked up) going wild as they jumped and sang along to his hits. As he took the stage, he debuted the new Oakley Meta AI glasses, which are capable of capturing Ultra HD point-of-view video while offering Meta AI. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Oakley | Meta (@oakleymeta)
Daily Mail
25-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Travis Scott admits to frivolously spending '$300k on gas' as ex Kylie Jenner is scolded for private jet use
Travis Scott revealed he flew to another country just for a designer bag... but it wasn't just any designer bag. It was a Louis Vuitton x Murakami. Attending a panel at Fanatics Fest on Friday as a special guest, the 34-year-old rapper spoke about brand partnerships and collaborations alongside Fanatics founder and CEO Michael Rubin and Tom Brady. When asked by moderator Caio Amato, Oakley Global President, about what brand partnerships they liked, Scott said, 'I liked everything that Marc Jacobs did when he was at Louis Vuitton. I thought all his collaborations were like...' Rubin then interrupted Scott to ask him, 'Did you get on an airplane and fly to pick up an LV Murakami bag to Paris from LA?' - referring to Louis Vuitton's popular collab with Japanese artist Takashi Murakami. Travis then smiled and replied, 'Yeah,' according to an eyewitness. Rubin continued to call him out about the swanky purchase he flew abroad for. Rubin told the crowd, 'The guy spent about $300,000 on gas to pick up a bag that he was so excited about. So, I'm just saying, when he likes something, he goes all in.' Travis explained, 'Yeah, I think that was just something that was fresh. [The] 2000s energy was just crazy. But yeah, if I focus something, I go pull up and get it, for sure. But that's something that's actually... that's crazy.' Kylie Jenner's ex has been a longtime fan of Louis Vuitton, having had been photographed with the brand's bags in the past. He even returned to France's capital in January to attend Louis Vuitton's Menswear show during Paris Fashion Week. Speaking on his own past collaborations - he famously has partnered with brands like Nike, McDonald's and Reese's Puffs - he said that everything he collabs with is 'something I've been into since I've been a kid.' He shared, 'So kind of being able to grow up and take what's in your brain or what you played with as a kid and see it, like, how you wanted to see it as a kid now to life is kind of cool. And I just always wanted to bring the energy. 'I always feel like I tell Rubin this all the time - high corporations always forget about the people sometimes and what they really want. You know what I mean? And so, it's just always cool to just give the people what the f**k they want instead of all this random s**t.' Scott sported a hoodie that was specially made for Fanatics Fest - something he had drawn up and had requested Rubin come out with six days prior to the three-day sports festival. The zip-up hoodie features logos from four New York teams: Rangers, Knicks, Giants and Yankees. When asked about the future of collaborations, Scott insisted, 'I think it's about trusting the youth and allowing them to step in the seat and giving them some sort of creative reigns. I think that's the next level of, like, collaboration instead of the one-off partnerships. You know, opening the doors a little bit to more of people that have the real ideas and getting in that lane really just to go off.' The Sicko Mode singer shared his admiration for the brand with his followers on Instagram View this post on Instagram A post shared by Oakley | Meta (@oakleymeta) Following the 15-minute panel, everyone left the stage and the lights went out. Scott's DJ then took the stage at the Javits Center and the Sicko Mode rapper performed a surprise set - with guests (who had their phones locked up) going wild as they jumped and sang along to his hits. He even asked security guards to let guests come closer to the stage. As he took the stage, he debuted the new Oakley Meta AI glasses, which are capable of capturing Ultra HD point-of-view video while offering Meta AI. The singer's admission of spending $300,000 on gas to fly to Paris from Los Angeles comes after his ex, Kylie Jenner, received backlash for flying her $72.8 million private jet during the California wildfires earlier this year. Daily Mail reported that she took her ritzy jet on 11 flights since the fires started in early January. Four out of the 11 flights were under one hour, with the jet spending a shockingly short 15 minutes in the air on one of those journeys. On January 9, the Bombardier Global 7500 completed one of its shortest trips, a 15-minute flight between Los Angeles and Camarillo, California. Just three days later, the 27-year-old flew for 36 minutes to Palm Springs, emitting three more tons of CO2 emissions at a cost of $1,555. On another trip, she flew to London to support boyfriend Timothée Chalamet at the premiere of his new Bob Dylan biopic, A Complete Unknown, where ironically the actor appeared to swerve a car in favor of a Lime bike for his red carpet arrival. Making the most of their time in Europe, the loved-up couple then jumped back on the jet for a 47-minute flight across the Channel to Paris, France. The journey emitted four tons of CO2 and 361 gallons of jet fuel at a cost of $2,000. Kylie was labeled a 'climate criminal' at the time after she posted a statement about wildfire relief efforts and thanking firefighters. The Kardashians star's jet, nicknamed "Kylie Air," is customized with pink accents and her skincare brand's logo. It features a sleek white exterior and inside, there are personalized features such as a bar with a neon "Kylie" sign, silk Kylie Skin pillows and eye masks, soft Hermes blankets and 10 white leather seats with Kylie's initials. Kylie has shared many photos of herself and her family on her jet, giving fans a glimpse of her luxe lifestyle. The mom-of-two shares daughter Stormi Webster, seven, and son Aire Webster, three, with Scott. Although Scott and Jenner are rarely seen together in the public after they split, Kylie brought their daughter to his Coachella set back in April.
Yahoo
24-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Five innovations that changed sports cards: From refractors to inserts to autos
The sports and trading card hobby has experienced hundreds of changes and innovations since the earliest issues arrived in the 1800s. And though Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin recently placed his company's introduction of the Rookie Debut Patch Autograph card at the top of that hierarchy, there are a number of innovations that have arguments for changing the course of collecting. Advertisement Here are five sports card innovations that cllct believes reshaped the hobby for good. 1. Pack-inserted autographs Upper Deck's 1989 "Find the Reggie" campaign placed 2,500 signed Reggie Jackson cards into packs. (Credit: eBay) Autograph chasing has long been part of the hobby, but Upper Deck changed collecting entirely when it delivered the first pack-inserted autographs in 1990. Just a year after revolutionizing the hobby with the first premium baseball card product in 1989, Upper Deck's 'Find the Reggie' campaign saw the company place 2,500 autographed Reggie Jackson cards into 1990 Upper Deck Baseball High Series packs. Those first pack-inserted Reggie Jackson autographs are credited by many as the hobby's first 'chase' cards, and decades later, pack-pulled autographs are often key parts of many of the most important products. Advertisement In the ultra-modern era of collecting, on-card autographs are among the most coveted chases while sticker autographs, which are signed in bulk and placed on the card at a later date, are popular but less desirable. 2. Game-used memorabilia Cards featuring game-used jerseys and memorabilia have changed the game. (Credit: eBay) Though the Rookie Debut Patch has a good argument as one of the hobby's greatest innovations, it's hard to ignore the earliest iterations of memorabilia and jersey cards that came before it. Press Pass started the game-used memorabilia trend — or in this case, race-used — when it included race-used NASCAR tires in the 1996 Press Pass Burning Rubber set. Upper Deck then introduced game-used jerseys into cards with 1996-97 Upper Deck Hockey, and the hobby has been chasing swatches of fabric ever since. Advertisement Where the Rookie Debut Patch does deserve credit is how it links the card's patch to a specific moment in time. The ultra-modern era of collecting has been plagued by ambiguous language to describe memorabilia, with descriptions ranging from game-used and player-worn to the dreaded 'not associated with any player, team or event' language. Collectors want to know when and where the patches were worn, and no program has done a better job at connecting a card to a moment than the RDPA. 3. Refractors and parallels Considered one of the most influential and important sets of all time, 1993 Topps Finest Baseball arrived as an ultra-premium product with chromium stock and the hobby's first refractors. Advertisement Featuring a rainbow-like finish, refractors easily stand out compared to their base counterparts, and are now among the most important chases in the hobby. The success of 1993 Finest not only led to expanded chrome offerings across various manufacturers, the introduction of the refractor laid the foundation for the 'rainbow' chase. Though Topps' basic 'Refractor' and Panini America's 'Silver Prizm' are highly coveted, the ultra-modern era of collecting now features hundreds of different refractors and parallel variations that range from popular colors such as Red, Green, Blue, Black and Gold to geometric patterns such as Prism, RayWave, X-Fractor, Mojo, Shock and Cracked Ice. There are even animal-themed parallels such as Zebra, Tiger, Snakeskin and Elephant. Advertisement For some hobbyists, collecting the entire 'rainbow' of parallels for a player or team is a key part of the experience. The concept of 'color-matching,' which pairs the colors on a team's jersey with the color of a parallel, has also become extremely popular during the era. 4. Super short-printed inserts Depending on one's preferred definition, insert cards can be dated back to some of the hobby's most influential early sets. There's little doubt interest exploded in the 1990s, however, and the hobby hasn't been the same since. Featuring their own themes and designs separate from the base set, insert cards have become some of the most coveted chases in recent decades — super short-printed inserts can even eclipse key rookie cards on the secondary market. Advertisement Originating in the '90s, inserts such as Precious Metal Gems, Scoring Kings, Jambalaya and Big Man on Court have resonated with collectors years later. Today, the ultra-modern era of collecting has been dominated by inserts such as Kaboom, Color Blast, Downtown and Stained Glass. 5. Print-to-demand Topps NOW ties a specific moment to an instant card. (Credit: Topps) The current marketplace for print-to-demand cards was first introduced with Panini Instant and Topps NOW in 2016, and though it took years to catch on, the concept has carved out a significant place in the hobby during the ultra-modern era. Hoping to capture important moments as they happen, the Instant and NOW programs design cards that are available a la carte during a limited release window. Collectors can purchase as many cards as they desire, and the companies print the cards needed to fulfill all orders. Advertisement Interest in print-to-demand cards was relatively light to start, but has since exploded as Panini has included more autographs and parallels, and Topps has added random chases that can be included with orders of the base card. The print-to-demand market experienced its biggest moment when Topps released a NOW card celebrating Team USA's gold medal in the 2024 Olympic Games. Topps added a number of 1/1 chase cards to the drop, including a triple autograph of LeBron James, Steph Curry and Kevin Durant. The chase for the triple autograph resulted in collectors purchasing 588,035 base cards — a then-record for the NOW program. The triple autograph remains one of the most important cards that has yet to surface publicly. Ben Burrows is a reporter and editor for cllct, the premier company for collectible culture. He was previously the Collectibles Editor at Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on X and Instagram @benmburrows.
