A player whose career has been based on breaking the norm, LaMelo Ball will break another barrier with his latest move. Through ESPN’s Tim Keown on Thursday, Ball announced that he would be releasing limited edition NFTs related to his career accomplishments, becoming the first pro athlete to do so.
Ball had the following quote on his decision:
“As I learn more about blockchain, I realize this is the most powerful and unique way to engage my fans in a way that’s special to them individually. I see this as the future for fans and athletes connecting together.”
Ball will release 500 dynamic NFTs – nonfungible tokens – in advance of the announcement of the Rookie of the Year in June. Different from the standard NFTs, the dynamic version will update should Ball be announced as the Rookie of the Year, increasing its value in theory.
The NFTs will be released through Playground, a Southern California-based studio. Ball will create a lottery system for those that own the dynamic NFTs that will allow them to “burn” the NFTs in exchange for memorabilia like game-worn shoes. Once burned, the NFT can not be reused or reissued, increasing the value of the remaining dynamic NFTs.
Along with the 500 dynamic NFTs, Ball will also release 9,500 standard NFTs on the Ethereum blockchain.
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