The women’s professional basketball league is jumping onto the wildly successful NBA Top Shots wagon, releasing its own NFT-based highlight video clips.
The Women’s National Basketball Association has teamed up with NFT-maker Dapper Labs to launch WNBA Moments on the Top Shots platform.
The NBA Top Shots have been the most successful non-fungible token project, with the unique cryptocurrency tokens holding highlight-reel video clips — essentially digital trading cards called “Moments” — selling more than nine million times, according to CryptoSlam! Records.
“We’re focused on revolutionizing how fans connect to the sports and players they love and share a goal to transform the fan experience,” said Caty Tedman, head of partnerships at Dapper Labs. “In the spirit of the iconic and trailblazing league they are, this launch is just the beginning of what we have in store for the W and its fans.”
NFTs are simply a type of token no two of which are alike or interchangeable — unlike, say, a Bitcoin which is just like every other Bitcoin.
Dapper Labs, which is also behind the seminal CryptoKitties NFT game, raised $305 million in a March venture round that included Michael Jordan and Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant, among others. It valued the company at $2.6 billion.
Both the NBA Top Shots and WNBA Top Shots live on Dapper Labs’ Flow blockchain.
Best of the Best
Some of the first WNBA Top Shots’ Moments will feature 2020 WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson and Hall of Famer Lisa Leslie. The deal, in association with the WNBA Players Association, comes during the league’s 25th anniversary.
“Top Shot presents an exciting opportunity for the WNBA to engage passionate fans on a whole new level and celebrate the league as it continues to make history,” said Christy Hedgpeth, COO of the WNBA. “We have been at the forefront of innovation in many respects and partnering with Dapper Labs on Top Shot allows us to highlight the talent and incredible performances of WNBA players in a heightened way through a digital experience.”
