Footlocker yesterday announced an alliance with Funko and the NBA as the launch retailer for a new NBA Pop! Line that will be carried in nearly 300 of its stores, including in an entertainment- and sports-based “Pop by Foot Locker” area in its recently opened store in New York’s Times Square.

The Funko line of five players (James Harden, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kristaps Porzingis, LeBron James and Joel Embiid) will be sold in 60 Foot Locker stores. It also will available in 215 of Foot Locker’s House of Hoops locations. The Lebron James figure is an exclusive special edition featuring him in a Los Angeles Lakers uniform; it’s priced at $15, while the others are $13.

How the Pop by Foot Locker format will appear in the stores will depend on the size of the location. Most will be in major metro markets.

The Times Square store gives major play to the collectibles category. Located on the second floor across from display walls covered with sneakers, the shop features collectible figures interspersed with apparel. Along the back wall is a portrait of rapper Tupac Shakur alongside a Marvel logo.

There is a broad selection of licensed properties represented, including Black Panther,  “Game of Thrones,” “Stranger Things,” Dragon Ball Z, and “Rick and Morty.”

The Pop by Footlocker concept also comes as Footlocker also carves out gaming zones in its new Power Store format locations. For example, a Hong Kong store is stocked with Microsoft Xbox consoles, which also can be found in its London and Liverpool locations. The first U.S. Power Store will open late this year in Detroit.

Contact:

Foot Locker, Andy Gray, Chief Merchandising Officer, 212-720-3700, agray@footlocker.com