NFT platform OneOf has just launched a special collection of Duke Basketball NFTs. The NFTs come as the top college basketball program prepares for the final home game of legendary coach, Mike Krzyzewski. Given the historic nature of the NFT drop and the occasion they celebrate, it comes as no surprise that the primary NFTs in the collection sold out about two hours after going live.
Duke Basketball partners with OneOf to mark the historic occasion
To sum up, the collection was scheduled for March 3rd through March 5. This date coincides with Duke’s final regular season game on March 5, when it faces off against its archrival, North Carolina. Significantly, this already massive fixture also represents the final game that Duke’s legendary coach Mike Krzyzewski, aka “Coach K”, will lead in Duke’s home arena, Cameron Indoor Stadium.
There are four tiers to the Duke Basketball NFT drop. First are the Gold game ticket NFTs representing the Duke vs North Carolina game, which sold for $42. Next is the Platinum tier. Interestingly this tier honors Duke’s student fans, “The Cameron Crazies”, and is only available via QR code to attendees of the game. Then there’s the Diamond tier NFTs, which sold for $1500 and include a pair of tickets for the Duke 2022-2023 season.
Finally, there is the Championship tier. To clarify, OneOf is auctioning off five “Championship Ring” NFTs as part of the collection. These NFTs represent the five NCAA Championships that Coach K has won during his 42-year stint as the head coach of Duke. The auction for those 1-of-1 NFTs will be live until Sunday, March 6th. Notably, each of the five NFTs comes with a basketball signed by none other than Coach K himself.
All of the Duke Basketball NFTs feature beautiful 3D animations relating to each tier. Although the gold and diamond NFT game tickets have already sold out, there are some NFTs currently listed for sale on OneOf’s secondary marketplace. Users can buy the NFTs both using crypto (Bitcoin, Ethereum, or Tezos) and with a debit or credit card.
The NFTs for Coach K’s final game are OneOf’s first foray into collegiate athletics
As noted above, the Duke Basketball NFTs launched on OneOf. For those who don’t know, OneOf is an NFT marketplace with two main focuses. Firstly, it aims to cater to fans – it started off focusing on music and has recently branched out into the sports world.
Secondly is its dedication to using environmentally sustainable blockchains to create a better experience for creators and collectors. Of course, the environmental impact of NFTs is something that weighs heavily on the mind of many people when it comes to the NFT space. As a result, OneOf only uses proof-of-stake blockchains like Tezos and Polygon. The Duke Basketball NFTs specifically appear to be hosted on Tezos.
These blockchains have a tiny carbon footprint in comparison to Ethereum. They also allow for OneOf users to mint NFTs without having to pay any transaction fees. Along with OneOf’s acceptance of card payments, these factors help OneOf move towards a major goal. Namely, to onboard the next 100 million non-crypto native users into Web3.
Duke Basketball NFTs a sign of NFTs’ continued growth in sports
To be sure, with the Duke Basketball NFTs, OneOf couldn’t have found a better partnership to kick off its entry into US college sports. For one thing, Duke Basketball is one of the top collegiate athletic programs in the country. These NFTs also immortalize a huge milestone in the farewell season of one of the greatest coaches in American sports history.
In his four decades at Duke University, Coach K has won 1,123 games. This is the most among college basketball coaches all time. These wins have translated to a heap of title wins, including five National Championships.
In addition, Krzyzewski has also had a successful stint as the former head coach of the USA Men’s Basketball team. Between 2005 and 2016, he won three Olympic gold medals, and two FIBA World Championships with Team USA.
Overall, the Duke Basketball NFTs may be a first of their kind. To say nothing of their uniqueness due to the circumstances of this historic game. Even so, we can be sure to see more college programs following suit as all industries continue to find their way in NFTs.
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