Autograph, the company partnering with the world’s biggest icons to usher in a new era of digital collecting, and co-founded by Tom Brady, has announced a deal with iconic basketball brand SLAM to create and distribute digital-collectible content on DraftKings Marketplace (Nasdaq: DKNG). As a launch partner for their basketball vertical, Autograph users will have access to SLAM’s 300-plus cover archive dating back to 1994, featuring some of the greatest basketball players over the last three decades.
SLAM will be a launch partner for Autograph’s basketball vertical with iconic magazine covers that feature players ranging from Allen Iverson and Vince Carter to Devin Booker and Sabrina Ionescu. The magazines themselves have been collector items for over 27 years, and the cover remains the Holy Grail for all basketball players. As the most authentic brand in basketball storytelling, SLAM has grown into a global lifestyle brand and multimedia property with 20-plus social channels, a burgeoning merchandise division and multiple franchise events annually with over 16 million engaged followers across the globe.
“SLAM is uniquely positioned to bring the Autograph community some of the most unique and historic basketball NFT content,” said Dillon Rosenblatt, CEO and Co-founder of Autograph. “We’re proud to announce this partnership and we’re looking forward to the multitude of drops and exclusive releases to come.”
The Autograph NFTs previously dropped on DraftKings Marketplace included such star athletes as Tiger Woods, Wayne Gretzky, Derek Jeter, Naomi Osaka, Simone Biles and Tony Hawk. Autograph recently announced a similar deal with Lionsgate in which the companies will collaborate to create digital collectible content based on the flagship movie franchises later this year.
“We’ve been constructing a portfolio of companies with a specific focus on the intersection of sports media and blockchain technology, and this deal sits squarely at that crossover,” said Matt Aronson, President of SLAM’s parent company JDS Sports. “Autograph is introducing a best-in-class NFT experience for the mainstream. We’re thrilled to work with the team to bring SLAM’s archive of collectible covers to the digital world.”
SLAM previously partnered with New Orleans Pelicans All-Star Zion Williamson for a first-of-its-kind NFT drop in April, which included two SLAM covers featuring Williamson. The SLAM x ZION collection also included four limited-edition versions of both covers — Basic, Gold, Gold Autographed, and a 1-of-1 Platinum Autographed. The first cover, SLAM 222, was shot at Duke University in April 2018 immediately before Williamson declared for the NBA Draft, while the second, SLAM 228, was shot in New Orleans in June 2020 before the season restarted in Orlando.
