• Loading stock data...
Monday, August 4, 2025
Tuned In returns to NYC on September 16. Hear from the biggest names in sports media. Click here to get your spot

NBA Skills Coach Drew Hanlen on Building Pure Sweat Basketball’s Brand

  • Air’s cloud storage solutions helps Hanlen’s clients get results.
  • Hanlen’s strong social media presence has helped build the credibility of his business.
image via Air/Drew Hanlen

It takes more than just being the first one on the court and the last one off to be amongst the NBA’s best. It requires a focused approach to conditioning and skills building. That’s why elite NBA talent like Joel Embiid, Bradley Beal, Jayson Tatum, and more choose to work with coach Drew Hanlen and Pure Sweat Basketball

Hanlen spends his days breaking down his clients’ game film and finding ways to build on their game. As the CEO of Pure Sweat Basketball, Hanlen also designs training programs for coaches and trainers to help take their own athletes to the next level. 

Hanlen couldn’t have built this type of portfolio with bad social content. 

“Branding is so important,” Hanlen stated. “I think that right now, in the content era, so many people put out bad content, which can actually negatively impact your brand. So for us, the first thing that we do is we make sure that we’re documenting what’s really happening — we’re not out there creating fairytale stories or trying to fake what’s happening, we want to give an in-depth look of the grind that’s really going. We call these moments ‘the unseen hours.’”

Hanlen records and stores every second that he and his clients are working together on the court, which can be up to 70 hours a week, if not more. Hanlen also has a library of game film from his clients that he works off of. Put all this together, and Hanlen finds himself with roughly a terabyte of footage a week that needs storing.

For this, Hanlen puts his trust in Air, a cloud storage and collaboration tool. With Hanlen being on the road to a significant extent to fit his clients’ demands, this also eliminates the need to travel with bulky analog storage solutions like portable hard drives. On Air, Hanlen can find relevant content with ease and strategize around social media on the fly. 

“At Pure Sweat, our mantra is just help as many players, coaches, and trainers as possible,” Hanlen says. “So when it comes to content, anytime that we have a soundbite or have a clip that we think is going to impact the lives of those three sectors (the players, coaches, and trainers), we try to post it. Some people might have content schedules that they’re sticking to way ahead of time, for us it’s more so about getting people the best content in real time as we go.”

Having all of this footage on hand and easily searchable through Air has also made maintaining Pure Sweat Basketball’s social media presence much easier. Hanlen and his team were able to easily find moments from old games and training sessions that were evergreen to their target consumers. 

“Just during the last three months, our Instagram account has grown by I think 50,000 followers,” Hanlen recalled. “We’ve also had tons of growth on Facebook and YouTube and we just started a TikTok, which has grown to over 150,000 followers after only being in business for maybe three or four months.”

Hanlen added that the best thing a trainer can do is get results. With a proper video storage solution in Air, this goal is much more attainable.

Learn more about Air

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Inked Under Anesthesia: Athletes Getting $50,000 Tattoos

High-end studios, elite artist teams, and hours under anesthesia.
Steve Pagliuca

Boston Group Has Deal to Buy Sun For WNBA-Record $325 Million

The league office cautioned that any Boston move was subject to approval.

Luka Dončić Signs 3-Year Lakers Extension On 1st Day Of Eligibility 

Dončić can opt out after two seasons and sign a record deal.
Coco Gauff at New York Liberty

How the New York Liberty Became the Hottest Ticket in Town

Once banished to the burbs, the Libs are now Brooklyn’s marquee attraction.

Featured Today

Las Vegas sign

College Sports Embracing Vegas After Years of Cold Shoulder

The Big Ten became the latest newcomer to Sin City.
2000, Jupiter, FL, USA; FILE PHOTO; Montreal Expos pitcher Hideki Irabu in action on the mound against the New York Mets at Roger Dean Stadium during Spring Training
July 28, 2025

Dead Sports Franchises Are Alive and Well on Twitter

The Expos, Sonics, and Whalers have active social media accounts.
Limited Hype
July 27, 2025

Sneaker Reselling Was Once Easy Money. Success Is Now Complicated

Vendors need to evolve what they’re selling and how they do it.
HAPPY GILMORE 2. BTS - (L to R) Adam Sandler as Happy Gilmore and Rory McIlroy as himself on the set of Happy Gilmore2.
July 26, 2025

‘Cool As Hell’: How ‘Happy Gilmore 2’ Hooked Golf’s Top Stars

The process was “cool as hell,” Adam Sandler tells FOS.

How Rolex Paved the Way for Luxury’s Love Affair With Tennis

“It’s almost impossible to think about tennis without thinking about Rolex.”
Athlos
May 4, 2025

Nike Wants to Pull Off the First Women’s Sub-4:00 Mile

Experts speak on whether Nike’s “moonshot” is realistic or a gimmick.
Jul 19, 2024; Phoenix, Ariz., United States; Sheryl Swoopes hosts a WBNA All-Star brunch in honor of her former teammate, Nikki McCray Penson, at Thea in Phoenix on July 19, 2024
May 12, 2025

Sheryl Swoopes: A’ja Wilson Shoe Campaign Shows Nike Sea Change

Nike released the Air Swoopes in 1995.
Sponsored

Game On: Portfolio Players Stories, Brought to You by E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley

Dealmaker Jeffrey Kaplan maps the evolution of sports as an asset class
Apr 12, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; MLB umpire Ron Kulpa (46) calls a third strike during a game between the Cleveland Guardians and the Kansas City Royals at Progressive Field
May 4, 2025

Pro Refs Get Offered Free Lasik for Better Calls. Some Took It

Some pro officials have sprung for the offer for free corrective surgery.
January 15, 2025

State Farm Cancels Planned Super Bowl Ad Amid California Fires Controversy

State Farm’s Super Bowl ad last year featured Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito.
Nov 25, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; From left: Scott Van Pelt, Ryan Clark, Jason Kelce and Marcus Spears on the ESPN Monday Night Football Countdown set before the game between the Baltimore Ravens and the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium.
December 17, 2024

A ‘Wave’ of Sports Content Is Coming to TikTok

The next generation is consuming sports in a different way.
Apr 7, 2022; Augusta, Georgia, USA; Rory McIlroy (left) and Brooks Koepka set up to putt on no. 9 during the first round of The Masters golf tournament.
exclusive
November 27, 2024

PGA Tour vs. LIV Golf TV ‘Showdown’ Will Pay Out $10M Crypto..

Two golfers from each tour will face off in Las Vegas.