Bringing basketball to the blockchain
Dapper Labs, the NBA and the NBPA are working together to shape the future of basketball fandom using blockchain technology.
It’s primetime for mainstream adoption
If you were one of the millions of people that watched the high-flying action in the NBA this past season, then you’re part of a sports community that is getting more and more used to a level of drama, skill, and breathtaking moments that seem unmatched in the sports world. By any measure, the NBA is one of the world’s most global sports leagues and its popularity continues to grow with:
- One of the largest social media communities in the world, with 1.6 billion likes and followers globally across all league, team, and player platforms.
- Games and programming in 50 languages across 215 countries and territories.
We’re eager to show the NBA’s worldwide audience the value of blockchain technology through NBA Top Shot. That’s why we’ll be working directly with basketball fans to build an experience that’s relevant to them and rooted in basketball culture.
Introducing NBA Top Shot
NBA Top Shot will feature a social experience built around limited-edition digital collectibles, as well as a variety of games and experiences anchored around the collectibles designed to create a fun, authentic, and accessible fan engagement on blockchain technology.
Unlike other sports games or fantasy brackets, players can acquire live, in-game moments from the NBA season, like a Kawhi Leonard buzzer-beater. Players can also acquire history-making moments, such as Klay Thompson scoring 37 points in a quarter, Giannis Antetokounmpo being named the 2018–19 MVP and Dirk Nowitzki’s last basket as a Dallas Maverick. Embedded in the digital collectibles are real-world data that defines these moments and plays an influential role in a variety of different games.
These digital collectibles are more than just memorabilia that fans can own and use forever — they’re game pieces in upcoming experiences. Players will be able to trade, compete with, and use these items in online tournaments and leagues.
Like all Dapper Labs products, NBA Top Shot will deliver a high-quality user experience and the unique benefits that blockchain offers: true ownership, immutability, and the ability to transfer value in a peer-to-peer marketplace.
The serious business of fun and games on the blockchain
In 2017, we created CryptoKitties to show the world that blockchain technology could be fun and consumer-friendly. We’re applying the lessons we’ve learned from CryptoKitties, and more recently Cheeze Wizards, to continue to improve blockchain’s user experience dramatically.
As we continue to expand the reach of decentralized technology, we are working to bring an experience that’s exciting and relevant to basketball fans across the world. The NBA Top Shot team is led by Santiago Jaramillo and Caty Tedman. Santiago brings over 10 years of experience building and launching AAA games, most recently as Creative Director for EA Sports’ FIFA. Caty has a vast knowledge of sports from years leading data-driven decisions and strategy at the NFL, NHL, and NBA on ESPN.
“With NBA Top Shot, basketball fans can engage with their favorite players, teams, and each other in entirely new ways. We’re using blockchain technology to create assets and experiences that are guaranteed limited edition and authentic, not to mention portable and permanent, in a way nothing digital has ever been before.”
— Roham Gharegozlou, CEO of Dapper Labs.
Sign up to check out NBA Top Shot first, and help shape basketball’s digital future.
