NBA Joins Forces with Dapper Labs to Launch Digital Collectibles

In a bid to make it possible for basketball fans to purchase, trade and own unique digital collectibles representing some of the greatest moments in the sport, the National Basketball Association (NBA) has joined forces with Dapper Labs, the creators of the groundbreaking CryptoKitties, to launch the NBA Top Shot blockchain-based digital platform and game, according to a press release on July 31, 2019.

NBA Catches Blockchain Fever

As stated in its press release, the National Basketball Association (NBA), the United States men’s professional basketball league and the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA), has partnered with Dapper Labs, a distributed ledger technology (DLT) project focused on developing exclusive digital collectibles.

The alliance will enable Dapper Labs to develop the NBA Top Shot digital platform that would allow NBA fans to purchase, trade and own exclusive digital NBA collectibles that represent some of the greatest moments in the history of the league.

Through the NBA Top Shot platform, fans will be able to engage with their favorite players, teams, as well as other fans.

The team says the platform offers a social experience powered by digital collectibles and a complementary blockchain-based head-to-head game that fosters fan engagement and more.

NBA Top Shot Offers a Compelling Experience

Per the team, fans will be able to acquire live-in-game moments, such as Kevin Durant 3-point shot or Joel Embiid dunk from the NBA season as digital collectibles and decide to keep them forever or use them to compete in online tournaments against other players on-chain.

The team firmly believes that by introducing these innovative features, basketball fans of all ages will have an exciting and compelling team-building experience.

Commenting on the launch of the NBA Top Shot platform, Josh Goodstadt, Executive VP of Licensing for THINK450, the commercial arm of the NBPA expressed his excitement over the partnership with Dapper Labs, adding that the firm strongly in the capabilities of blockchain technology. He said:

“NBA Top Shot is a new way for fans to connect with their favorite athletes. We believe DLT offers a truly unique product that fans can collect, manage and engage within a fun environment, and we are glad to collaborate with Dapper Labs to introduce these groundbreaking digital assets to the NBA.“

The team says the NBA Top Shot collectibles will go live this fall, and the game will be launched in early 2020.