Pacers x Rob49

ABOUT THIS ENTRY

Our 2025 playoff run was energized by a cultural partnership with Rob49, whose track “WTHELLY” became the team’s unofficial anthem and a rallying point for fans and players alike. The collaboration amplified Tyrese Haliburton’s rising profile and turned the song into a defining soundtrack of our postseason run.

How does this represent "Excellence in Engagement"?

Our partnership with Rob49 represented Excellence in Engagement because it fused our run to Game 7 of the Finals with a culturally relevant, viral artist at the exact moment fans were most emotionally invested. We turned WTHELLY into a soundtrack for our fan base and took our content beyond our normal reach and invited new fans to engage and rally behind our unexpected, incredible run.

Objective

“What the helly ‘Burton?!”

When Rob49’s hit song WTHELLY dropped in March, just a few weeks before the 2025 NBA Playoffs, we knew we had to take advantage. With the Tyrese Haliburton name drop, we knew it was something we could uniquely use to produce surprising, scroll-stopping and impactful content to take full advantage of our 2025 playoff run.

What began as acquiring the rights to use the song in two pieces of content turned into 70 pieces of content throughout our playoff run. We had Rob49 sitting courtside at games, exchanging jerseys with Tyrese, being Mic’d Up and much more.

One of our main goals of our 2025 playoff run was take advantage of every opportunity and our partnership with Rob49 showcased how we turned our run to the Finals into a huge success on social.

Strategy & Execution

Securing the rights to WTHELLY was just the beginning. We turned that conversation into a partnership that lasted through our entire run to Game 7 of the NBA Finals.

It was an organic connection as Rob became a staple at games and allowed us to meet fans at the intersection of sports & culture to create viral moments. His presence became part of our identity during our run as Tyrese hit memorable shots in every single series – a series-winning layup in Round 1 against the Bucks (and we were in the locker room as they blared WTHELLY after the win), a game-winning 3 against the top-seeded Cavs in Game 2, an improbable stepback jumper to send Game 1 of the ECF against the Knicks to overtime (a game we’d win in OT) and finally a game-winning jumper in Game 1 of the Finals against the Thunder.

It was the perfect storm – connecting our brand to the track and leveraging it to make memorable moments even more impactful for fans.   

Organizations

• Pacers Sports & Entertainment

Featured

• Rob49

• Tyrese Haliburton

Credits

Tyler Beadlescomb
SVP, Content & Marketing
Pacers Sports & Entertainment

Zach Hughes
Senior Director, Social Content
Pacers Sports & Entertainment

Missy Zielinski
Associate Director, Social Content
Pacers Sports & Entertainment

Logan Kassel
Social Media Manager
Pacers Sports & Entertainment

Wheat Hotchkiss
Senior Director, Digital Marketing
Pacers Sports & Entertainment

Robyn Fuhrman
Director, Digital Partnerships
Pacers Sports & Entertainment

Danjae Rosete
Director, Digital Video
Pacers Sports & Entertainment

Marco Martinez
Senior Digital Video Producer
Pacers Sports & Entertainment

Emil Vajgrt
Senior Digital Content Producer
Pacers Sports & Entertainment

Josh Shuck
AVP, Marketing
Pacers Sports & Entertainment

Alex Kim
Social Media Manager
Pacers Sports & Entertainment

Emily Keck
Social Media Coordinator
Pacers Sports & Entertainment

Evan Miller
Digital Video Coordinator
Pacers Sports & Entertainment

Chayse Earney
Digital Partnerships Coordinator
Pacers Sports & Entertainment

Ben Rea
Digital Motion Graphics Designer
Pacers Sports & Entertainment