The global sports market was estimated to be worth $500 billion in 2022, and the expanding market has now embraced sports NFTs. A player image artwork, a trading card that has been tokenized, or any other type of digital collectible with the owner’s specific ownership rights documented on the blockchain can all be considered NFTs in the sports industry. NFT is currently being considered a future asset by many sports figures.
NFT hype began to pick up steam in 2021 and is still going strong in 2022. The following list of notable sports celebrities who have dabbled in NFT is provided.
Top 5 Sports Personalities Who Own NFT In 2022
Lionel Messi
Messi finally put an end to the GOAT debate after winning the world cup. In August 2021, Lionel Messi, refer to as “the best footballer in the world,” debuted his NFT line. Three digital artworks from the artist BossLogic’s collection—”Man from the Future,” “Worth the Weight,” and “The King Piece.” These NFTs depicted significant events in the football player’s career. The NFTs’ sales rocketed to US $3.4 million on the first day of the launch, showcasing his star power. After Messi, many sports athletes from soccer also purchase NFT.
Shaquille O’Neal
The four-time NBA champion and prolific ad pitchman Shaquille is the proud owner of an NFT from the Mutant Ape Yacht Club spinoff collection. The best part is that he purchased it in September for a relatively inexpensive $14,000 worth of ETH, and his OpenSea wallet name is “manofdominance.” Shaq launched his own NFTs using the Ethernity Chain platform and for a while used a Creature World NFT as his Twitter avatar.
Steph Curry
Steph Curry, a member of the Golden State Warriors, personally released a collection of 2,974 NFTs, each selling for US$333. Digital reproductions of Curry’s shoe line, Genesis Curry Flows, that show the exact pairs he wore for his amazing on-court feats, are included in his collection. Even though the collection is already sold out. The virtual sneakers make a promise to their followers to use and flaunt them in various metaverses and virtual games.
Neymar Jr.
Soccer player Neymar Jr. is regarded as one of the best in the world. On January 20, he made a splash by joining the Bored Ape Yacht Club. However, he purchased two Apes for more than $1 million in ETH altogether. Bored Ape #6633, a pink ape who blows bubbles and wears holographic glasses and a party hat. However, it served as his official entrance announcement to his 55 million followers. The laser-eyed #5269 is also his property.
Dez Bryant
In July 2021, former Dallas Cowboys All-Pro NFL player Dez Bryant acquired Bored Ape Yacht Club #2902. However, it didn’t take long for their value to soar by another 2000%. No matter if you were an athlete or not, that investment was among the best NFT investors.
Bryant launched Personal Corner, an athlete NFT platform that creates dynamic athlete NFTs. Throughout the course of the NFL season, they undergo attribute changes based on the touchdowns, tackles, interceptions, and overall performance of the player they represent. Technology from Chainlink is integrated into the platform.
