New Orleans Pelicans All-Star Zion Williamson and SLAM have joined forces for a first-of-its-kind NFT drop, including two SLAM covers featuring Williamson. The SLAM x ZION collection will include four limited-edition versions of both covers—Basic, Gold, Gold Autographed, and a 1-of-1 Platinum Autographed, in addition to the first-ever digital basketball, created exclusively for this drop.
“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.”
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.
“SLAM has been covering Zion since he was in high school, so it’s an honor to partner with him on this project,” said Adam Figman, Chief Content Officer at SLAM. “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.”
Leading sports agency CAA Sports facilitated the partnership on behalf of its client Williamson, alongside JDS Sports, parent company of SLAM, and other ventures across sports and technology. Award-winning digital agency Victory Creative Group assisted with the artwork for the NFTs, and GigLabs was tapped for operational support.
The SLAM x ZION collection drops on OpenSea, the largest NFT marketplace beginning April 2, with up to 500 editions of each Basic version of the cover NFTs and 50 Basic version digital basketballs available to purchase on a first-come, first-served for 0.2 ETH, while 20 limited-edition Gold and Gold Autographed cover NFTs and Gold Autographed digital basketballs will be auctioned with staggered end times throughout Sunday, April 4, culminating with the exclusive 1-of-1 Platinum Autographed collectible editions.
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Zion Williamson: SLAM Future Issue
Zion’s SLAM 222 Future Issue cover will be available in Basic (500 total), Gold (20), Gold Autographed (20) and a 1-of-1 Platinum Autographed edition. The Basic version will be sold for 0.2 ETH, while the others will be sold auction-style, with the bidding ending this Sunday.
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Zion Williamson: SLAM 228
Zion’s SLAM 228 cover will be available in Basic (500 total), Gold (20), Gold Autographed (20) and a 1-of-1 Platinum Autographed edition. The Basic version will be sold for 0.2 ETH, while the others will be sold auction-style, with the bidding ending this Sunday.
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SLAM x ZION DIGITAL BASKETBALL
The drop will also feature a collection of digital basketballs inspired by Zion’s Future Issue cover and created exclusively for this drop. These will be available in Basic (500 total), Gold (20), Gold Autographed (20), and a 1-of-1 Platinum Autographed Edition. The Basic version will be sold for 0.2 ETH, while the others will be sold auction-style, with the bidding ending this Sunday.
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HOW TO BUY
You will need to set up a MetaMask Wallet and an OpenSea Account to participate in the auction. In order to bid you must pay using Ethereum, the auction will not accept credit cards.
To learn how to open an ETH wallet and participate in this NFT drop, hit up the OpenSea FAQ.
To learn more about purchasing NFTs on OpenSea, click HERE. Video instructions detailing how to set up your MetaMask Wallet are available HERE. For full auction terms and conditions, please click HERE.
