Nets Unite Poster Series

Thrive Collective’s latest collaboration with the Brooklyn Nets celebrates AAPI Heritage Month for their NETS UNITE poster series. The Nets invited Thrive’s creative director — and our longest tenured artist — Kekoa and his wife Kristen to design this extraordinary poster, and distributed 5,000 prints to fans attending the Nets v. Chicago Bulls game at the Barclays Center on November 26, 2023.

The team announced:

“Kekoa and Kristen are a husband-and-wife team of multidisciplinary artists who one day met while painting a mural in Harlem and have since then continued to create together and inspire one another. Kekoa’s artistry has always been heavily influenced by the world of comic books—stories of infinite possibilities, pages bursting with epic creativity, and the journey of stepping into your own super power. Kristen, being born and raised in Brooklyn, is a big fan of the Nets and even had her commencement ceremony at the Barclays Center. Being from Brooklyn deeply informs the way she expresses herself, authentically and with grit.

“Growing up, my friends and I always enjoyed collecting and trading superhero comics and cards. During those days, it seemed like most superheroes of API background were just knock-offs of Bruce Lee. None of us cared for how stereotypical they were portrayed, especially if their only superpower was a really swift side-kick. So, we ended up creating our own heroes that represented our identities and cultures. As younger children, we emulated them through games of make-believe. As we grew older, these games transferred over to sports like pick-up basketball in parks or schoolyards. Kristen always remarks on how those games could bring people of a community together despite any differences. Eventually, we replaced those superheroes with our real-life favorite players. However, signature moves and catchphrases from our own creations remained in the back of our minds and would occasionally make its way back into the game; mostly for laughs and nostalgia. …”