A set of unseen photos of iconic NBA player Kobe Bryant will release as a collection of non-fungible tokens. The “Kobe” collection. Unseen Kobe Bryant photos will be releasing on the NFT platform Cryptograph. It comprises eight black and white images of the basketball player taken in 1999.
The Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation is a nonprofit organization. It dedicates to funding sports programs in marginalized regions. It will get 100% of the earnings.
Bryant and his daughter, Gianna, died in a helicopter crash on January 26, 2020. Hence, the charity was renamed to commemorate their memory. Gianna was famous as “Mambacita,” while Kobe was famous as “The Black Mamba.”
Davis Factor of Smashbox Studios took the images before Bryant’s illustrious sporting career reached its pinnacle.
A dream come true
The shooting, which Factor described as “a dream come true,” took place at an abandoned meatpacking factory in downtown Los Angeles without electricity, according to Factor.
“I think this shoot is special because it’s one of his first fashion shoots,” Factor said. “The purpose of this Kobe Bryant NFT drop, for me, is to raise as much money as humanly possible to give to Kobe Bryant’s foundation.”
Bryant was 21 during the photoshoot. He was a very determined and focused person, Factor said.
“He was able to detach the basketball Kobe and go into this part,” Factor said. “And I kind of saw the creative side of him that was pretty amazing.”
The collection has been in the works for months, according to Tommy Alastra. She is the co-founder of Cryptograph and a friend of Factor. To mark the platform’s first anniversary, “Kobe” will be followed by other series.
“I’m so excited that my friend Davis Factor has allowed us to immortalize these rare photos of Kobe Bryant and that these Cryptographs will support his legacy and foundation,” Alastra told Insider.
NFTs
This year, NFTs have become increasingly popular. The volume of NFT transactions topped $1 billion in August alone.
NFTs are digital representations of artwork, sports cards, and other collectibles. They are usually connecting to a blockchain, usually ethereum. Each NFT has a unique signature. It can be validated in the public ledger and cannot be copied or changed.
When individuals purchase NFTs, they are purchasing the rights to a one-of-a-kind token on the blockchain, rather than the artworks themselves. NFTs are intriguing to artists and collectors since the information on a blockchain is nearly difficult to modify.
Experts feel, however, that the sector is still in its infancy. Also, it has a long way to go before becoming more mainstream. Interoperability, scalability, and accessibility are among the challenges it still faces, according to experts.