To promote various NFT or Web3 projects, the NBA launched a Twitter feed and Discord server that are NFT-centric. The Discord launch will see the NBA release Ethereum NFTs as part of this season’s celebrations.
The NBA is focusing on NFTs.
The NBA launched a new Twitter account called NBAxNFT earlier this week. This feed will showcase “all things that intersect basketball and Web3, including NFTs and gaming, as well as the metaverse.”
The NBA established a Discord Server. It already has over 30,000 members. This afternoon, it announced plans for Ethereum NFTs to be released in connection with the current season’s playoffs.
While Dapper Labs’ NBA Top Shot is one of the biggest NFT projects to date, helping to establish the concept of digital sports collectibles and push NFTs into the mainstream, it now appears that the pro basketball league plans to expand into other NFT and Web3 initiatives–including Ethereum NFTs based on this season’s playoffs.
The announcement states, “To give you a heads up, we are currently working on an NFT project that will celebrate the NBA Playoffs.” We are not yet ready to reveal the details, but we will soon.
This post explains that the first 10,000 users of the server can add an Ethereum wallet address on an allowlist by Saturday at 5pm ET. Those who meet the cutoff will be granted “guaranteed access” to mint NFTs from the project.
Dapper Labs and NBA Top Shot will not be directly involved in this project, as it is built on Ethereum. NBA Top Shot uses Flow. This is Dapper’s blockchain platform that it created to handle large-volume NFT projects. It was built after it faced limitations with Ethereum and CryptoKitties.
Decrypt contacted Dapper Labs in an effort to clarify their involvement in the new NBA initiative. However, they did not respond immediately.
According to Discord, the NBA’s Discord server states that the new NBAxNFT initiative doesn’t focus on a single NFT release but rather on a range of possible projects in the Web3 space.
The announcement states that the NBA’s Discord server (like @NBAxNFT Twitter) is the official home of basketball and Web3 fans. It allows them to interact, learn more, and engage with each other about current and future NBA projects. This isn’t limited to any one NFT project. It is a place for the community to come together and share their passions.
An NFT is a type of blockchain-backed receipt that proves ownership. They are often used to purchase digital items such as artwork, collectibles and video games. In 2021, the NFT market generated $25 Billion in trading volume.
The NBA filed a United States trademark registration recently for the brand “The Association,” which would include a range of NFT-related initiatives, from merchandise and collectibles to tickets and game tickets.
