The basketball space in Canada is packed with QSR brands throwing big money at sponsorships. McDonald’s, Mary Brown’s, and Subway all secured major deals with players and teams. But KFC, with zero sponsorship deals, needed a way to cut through the noise and connect with basketball fans on its own terms. Instead of spending millions on official partnerships, KFC hacked its way into the sport by tapping into something no other brand could claim—finger licking. Basketball players, from Michael Jordan to LeBron James, have been licking their fingers on the court for decades. So, KFC owned the moment by turning finger licking into an official basketball celebration: The Finger Lickin’ Good (FLG) Celly. The campaign launched with KFC’s Finger Lickin’ Open Endorsement, an opportunity for anyone—rec leaguers, streamers, casual ballers—to score free KFC just by filming themselves doing the FLG celly after a shot and tagging @kfc_canada. To generate buzz, KFC infiltrated basketball culture. The brand snuck Colonel Sanders courtside at a Raptors game, making headlines and overtaking McDonald’s as a top-trending topic on X. KFC then crashed March Madness, endorsing 40+ NCAA athletes in the biggest NIL deal of its kind. The movement even reached the NBA, with Luka Dončić doing the FLG celly during a live game—securing KFC’s place at the heart of basketball culture.