Crypto.com dropped a new LeBron James NFT collection on its official NFT Marketplace. Named “The Moment of Truth,” these 5,550 NFTs feature photos from Crypto.com’s recent Super Bowl ad with the LA Lakers’ superstar.
Instead of a pre-sale or whitelist event, Crypto.com gave these LeBron James NFTs to account holders who found the hidden QR code in its “Moment of Truth” ad. If you scanned this QR code before the Friday after Super Bowl LVI, you could’ve enjoyed one chance to win a LeBron James NFT.
Although the contest is over, you could see the QR code if you pause the “The Moment of Truth” ad at ten seconds.
“The Moment of Truth” collection features 15 different NFTs, each related to an aspect of Crypto.com’s Super Bowl ad. The five rarest NFTs are each one-of-ten, while the five least common are each one out of 1,000. The middle-tier LeBron James NFTs are one out of 100 each, which brings the total to 5,550 NFTs.
In January of 2022, Crypto.com announced a long-term partnership with LeBron James and the LeBron James Family Foundation (LJFF). Through its I PROMISE campaign, both Crypto.com and LJFF hope to provide students with educational resources and career opportunities in the blockchain industry.
To help support I PROMISE’s mission, Crypto.com says 5 percent of the secondary sales for “The Moment of Truth” NFTs will go to the LJFF.
This isn’t the first time a crypto business snuck a QR code into an advertisement. In fact, Crypto.com did the same thing with its “Fortune Favors the Brave” ad featuring Matt Damon. People who found the QR code in this ad won an exclusive “Marscapes” NFT.
Coinbase didn’t even bother hiding its QR code in its Super Bowl ad. People who scanned Coinbase’s QR code could choose to get $15 in free crypto or enter a contest for $3 million. So many people tried to sign in to Coinbase that the site temporarily crashed.
LeBron James Will Soon Enter the Metaverse
There’s no question LeBron James is a big believer in NFTs and blockchain technology. Not only is LeBron an official partner with Crypto.com, he appears to be gearing up for a metaverse launch.
According to recent patent filings, the Akron-born All-Star wants to protect his identity in Web3. These four NFT applications seek the right to use the following names:
- LeBron James
- LeBron
- Chosen1
- King James
It appears LeBron James wants to offer digital collectibles such as branded shoes and clothes in the metaverse. There’s also speculation James could use these NFT trademarks to develop VIP metaverse experiences, including basketball video games.
LeBron James is far from the only NBA player getting involved in NFTs. As Rarity Sniper just reported, Michael Jordan released his first NFT collection “6 Rings” on Solana. Dapper Labs’ NBA Top Shot also remains one of the most active NFT trading platforms.