Lowe’s is entering basketball with a word that already belongs to the game.
“Buckets,” the home improvement retailer’s debut basketball campaign, stars Jalen Brunson and A’ja Wilson, two players who make the title feel almost too obvious. Brunson has become New York’s late-clock problem solver. Wilson is one of the defining forces of the WNBA.
“Buckets”
–– Jalen Brunson & A’ja Wilson star in Lowe’s debut basketball campaign pic.twitter.com/LHQDMduzBK
— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) May 4, 2026
The campaign marks Lowe’s first real basketball push after years of building sports presence elsewhere, including the NFL, soccer and NASCAR. Instead of starting with a league-wide basketball deal, Lowe’s began with athletes, a move CMO Jen Wilson framed as a way to enter the space quickly and build credibility with fans. She told Marketing Brew that basketball has “a vibe” the brand loves, across both the women’s and men’s game.
Basketball advertising is not just about putting a ball in someone’s hands anymore. It is fashion, personality, social clips, tunnel walks, signature shoes, arena soundtracks and postgame language. Brunson and Wilson give Lowe’s access to both performance and presence. One is the face of a Knicks team living loudly in New York. The other is a four-time MVP and one of the most marketable stars in women’s sports.
The smartest part is the title. “Buckets” works because it means two things without trying too hard. It is a basketball compliment and a hardware-store object. It lets Lowe’s enter the court without sounding like a brand desperately shouting slang from the sideline.
