The National Basketball Association (NBA) and the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) have partnered with Dapper Labs to release a basketball collectibles platform.

The news was announced in a

press release

which states Dapper Labs – the creators of the hugely popular CryptoKitties – will be developing ‘NBA TopShot’, a new digital platform for basketball enthusiasts to collect, trade, and own some of the greatest moments in NBA history.

NBA TopShot will boast a social experience built into the app as well as a complementary head-to-head game mode.

Similarly to other sports games or fantasy brackets (such as fantasy football), players can also create their own fantasy squad to challenge other players.

However, in NBA TopShot, players will build their rosters by collecting live in-game moments from the NBA season.

These moments could encompass a Kevin Durant 3-point shot, a Joel Embiid dunk, or even a player scoring a buzzer beater.

The moments will be immortalised into digital tokens and can either be owned indefinitely or used to compete against other players in online tournaments and leagues on-chain.

“The NBA and its players are among the greatest heavyweights in global culture,” says Dapper Labs CEO Roham Gharegozlou.

“Dapper Labs is proud to work with the NBA and NBPA to create an unparalleled digital experience for sports fans.

“Through NBA TopShot, basketball fans can engage with their favourite players, teams, and each other in entirely new ways. We use the latest blockchain technology to create assets and experiences that are guaranteed limited edition and authentic, not to mention portable and permanent in a way nothing digital has ever seen before.”

NBA TopShot is set to launch in the fall as a collectibles experience before the full game launches in early 2020.

Interested in reading more about the union of sport and blockchain? Discover more about footballing giant

Arsenal

partnering with a blockchain firm to release an official collectibles app.