NBA and 'CryptoKitties' Creator Team Up to Launch In-Game Collectables

The National Basketball Association (NBA) and Dapper Labs are teaming up to announce the launch of a digital platform for blockchain-based collectables, NBA Top Shot.

According to the companies, fans of the game can buy, sell, and trade digitally collectable in-season moves like “Kevin Durant’s 3-point shot or Joel Embiid’s dunk.” Digital collectables can be used for on-chain games or tournaments.

Similar to current products like NBA 2K, Dapper’s NBA Top Shot allows users to acquire players and build rosters with an additional hook: purchasing specific moves from the prior season.

Dapper Labs next product comes two years after the launch of CryptoKitties, the number one blockchain-based game, and months after a pre-sale and of its second major game, Cheese Wizardz.

The National Basketball Association is joined by the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA), a player’s union founded in 1954. Speaking on the matter, NBPA commerical executive Josh Goodstadt touts Dapper’s product as “an entirely new way for fans to connect with their favorite athletes.”

Goodstadt said:

“We believe blockchain technology creates a truly unique product that fans can collect, manage and engage within a fun environment.”

NBA Top Shot Collectibles is set to launch this fall in time for the NBA's regular-season tip-off, with the full game going live in early 2020. Per an email, Dapper Labs says they are “working directly with the [NBPA] to make sure players benefit from the experience."

Dapper’s product is not the first introduction between blockchain and major league sports: the Cleveland Cavaliers recently signed UnitedCoin as its official cryptocurrency with the Miami Dolphins signing with the Litecoin Foundation last month.

UPDATE (July 31, 13:45 UTC): This article has been updated to show that Cheese Wizardz has not yet fully launched.

NBA game image via Flickr