NBA legend Wilson Chandler has made history.
In a press release announcement, it was revealed that the basketball superstar has entered into a one-of-a-kind partnership with CryptoKickers, a non-fungible token-based fashion brand designing “Footwear for the New World.” This partnership marks the first time in history that a sports star has entered into a “virtual kicks” partnership.
“As we build out the leading footwear brand for the Metaverse, we wanted to find a star athlete with an innovative spirit and style — someone who actually cares about this stuff,” said CryptoKickers co-founder Thomas Dimson, in the press release announcement.
On Wednesday, April 21 at 11:11 a.m. PST, the team will release 21 pairs of “Wilson Chandler 1s” on their website, with additional releases to follow.
“As soon as I discovered CryptoKickers, it was a no-brainer to collaborate with them,” said Chandler, a 13-year NBA veteran. “I’ve been in the crypto space for some time and recently became obsessed with NFTs. I think these guys are positioned to build a Nike-sized fashion business for virtual worlds.”
This deal marks the latest development in the world of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) which are quickly becoming a hot commodity in the digital world.
Some experts, however, don’t believe that they’re a lasting trend.
Damon Abramson, the founder of Harmony Technologies, recently told AfroTech that the hype behind the NFT doesn’t match the longevity.
“I see NFTs going away,” Abramson said. “Think about it, generally, this is how we place value on things. They are unique and not everyone can get them. The NFT situation is, okay it’s unique, but everyone can make a copy of it. It’s not like you can charge me in a museum to see your digital art.”
Other experts, however, believe that they’re here to stay — just not in the way we think.
“Collectibles are an integral part of wealth. There are financial funds invested in digital collectibles,” said Bettinna of BettyMedia to AfroTech. “Art is a BIG business. What I do see is it will definitely help the art world and artists, and digital art will be an even bigger business.”
