The SLAM x ZION collection includes two iconic magazine covers and the first-ever digital basketball.
The New Orleans Pelicans superstar Zion Williamson is no stranger to making history. In his sophomore NBA season, the high riser is averaging 26 points per game and knocking on the door of a shot clock era record for the most consecutive games with 20 points or more.
And this Friday, Williamson’s fans will be able to secure a piece of his legacy with the SLAM x ZION NFT collection. The exclusive series launches April 2nd on crypto marketplace OpenSea.
The collection includes two past SLAM magazine covers featuring Williamson — the SLAM 222 Future Issue, shot at Duke immediately before he announced his eligibility for the NBA Draft, and SLAM 228, which was captured in New Orleans just before the re-start of the 2019-20 NBA season.
It also features the first-ever digital basketball, inspired by Zion’s Future Issue and created exclusively for this drop.
The digital offerings will come in four limited-edition tiers — Basic, Gold, Gold Autographed, and a 1-of-1 Platinum Autographed. The Basic, which includes 500 of each of the NFT covers and digital basketballs, will be available to purchase using Ethereum on a first-come, first-serve basis for 0.2 ETH each. The remaining items will be auctioned, with staggered closing times through Sunday, April 4th.
SLAM and Zion have a long-standing relationship, stemming back to his days at Spartanburg Day School in South Carolina, where a series of viral dunks catapulted him into the national scene. This made him the perfect partner when the magazine decided to enter the NFT market.
“Our audience has a strong emotional connection to our many covers and collect them in their physical form, especially the ones with Zion, so turning two of those covers into digital collectibles that fans can own made perfect sense,” said Adam Figman, Chief Content Officer at SLAM.
For Williamson, the partnership offers a unique chance to engage with his fans.
“I’m really excited to partner with SLAM for the first-ever NFT cover and digital basketballs,” said Williamson. “Through this drop, we hope to deepen our connection with basketball fans, while creating a unique opportunity for them to get in on the action and own a piece of history.”
Although this is Williamson’s first official NFT endeavor, fans of the big man have already demonstrated their excitement to own pieces of his digital memorabilia. A recent list of the top 10 most valuable NBA Top Shot Moments features two from Zion, including his first recorded NBA block.
Given the recent success of NFT auctions by big-time athletes like Rob Gronkowski and Patrick Mahomes, there are a ton of reasons to anticipate that this weekend’s event will be a success.
Zion and SLAM are paving the way for NBA stars to take the athlete-owned crypto game by storm, and with the kid still being just 20 years old, there’s no telling where his ceiling is on or off the court.
