NBA Basketball Legend Magic Johnson Launches NFT Collection

Key Insights:

• NBA basketball legend Magic Johnson launched an NFT collection on NBA Top Shot.
• The collection consists of 1,600 NFT packs etching his career highlights into history.
• US sporting franchises are particularly active in the NFT space, with the NBA leading the way.

This week, Magic Johnson announced a new NFT collection. The world of sport and NFTs continue to test the boundaries, with US franchises leading the way into the virtual world.

Both teams across the US sporting franchises and players have embraced Web3, with several sporting icons becoming ambassadors for leading global exchanges.

In 2020, the NBA and Dapper Labs launched the NBA NFT marketplace Top Shot, built on the Flow (FLOW) blockchain.

Since then, the NBA has embarked on a number of projects to drive fan engagement, including the launch of NBAxNFT, an NBA Discord to engage with NBA fans on everything Web3.

Alongside the NBA, players have also embraced the marriage between sports and Web3.

Magic Johnson Launches NFT Collection to Celebrate NBA Career

On Monday, NBA legend Magic Johnson joined the NFT movement with the launch of ‘The Anthology: Magic Johnson.’

The NBA’s Top Shot announced the launch, saying.

“To celebrate one of the most gifted and beloved players in NBA history – a 5X NBA champion, 3X Finals MVP, 3X NBA MVP, 12X NBA All-Star and member of the NBA’s 75^th Anniversary Team – we’re doing things differently.”

The announcement went on to say,

“Our partnership with Magic is a special occasion that calls for an all-new collector experience, including a first-of-its-kind Anthology set reserved for iconic plays from NBA legends. The first NBA Top Shot Anthology, dropping June 7, will contain Rare and Legendary Magic Johnson Moments.”

A total of 1,600 packs will be available, priced at $399 each. Each pack will include 1 Moment NFT from either the Rare or Legendary tier.

Those that meet the Top Shot score requirement of 150,000 + can enter the priority queue giving access to 1,200 packs. The remaining 400 packs go to the general queue.

Magic Johnson took Twitter to announce the launch, saying,

“I’m really excited to partner with @nbatopshot to release my first NFTs and bring some of my favorite Moments from my career to fans everywhere. Fans get to see just a few of my favorite plays from my career!”

I’m really excited to partner with @nbatopshot to release my first NFTs and bring some of my favorite Moments from my career to fans everywhere. Fans get to see just a few of my favorite plays from my career! https://t.co/5hGKT6BwiJ pic.twitter.com/7egr3xBZsv

— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) May 23, 2022

 

Magic Johnson follows in the footsteps of other sporting greats to etch their iconic sporting moments in digital history.

eBay Jumps on the NFT Bandwagon with Great Wayne Gretsky Collection

On Monday, eBay launched its own NFT drop featuring National Hockey League great Wayne Gretsky.

The Polygon (MATIC) based NFTs come in four different tiers of rarity. Only the green tier NFTs were still available for sale. The Gold, Platinum, and Diamond tiers have already sold out.

eBay partnered with web3 OneOf to launch the Gretksy limited edition NFT collection. The collection features animated Wayne Gretksy moves on the ice.

OneOf and eBay have plans to launch more NFT collections featuring athletes who have appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated.

Taking to Twitter, OneOf announced the launch, tweeting,

“Guess what?! We’re bringing NFTs to your favorite marketplace! Shop @WayneGretzky x @SInow now available on @eBay!”

Guess what?! We’re bringing NFTs to your favorite marketplace! Shop @WayneGretzky x @SInow now available on @eBay! 👀 ➡️https://t.co/oq0jJxFIFC⬅️ #polygon #ebay pic.twitter.com/Bqf67j9YZb

— OneOf (@OneOfNFT) May 23, 2022

 

Magic Johnson may also find himself on eBay, having frequently appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated over the years.