FTX.US, the American arm of the FTX cryptocurrency exchange, signed a global sponsorship deal with the NBA’s Golden State Warriors.
- FTX.US will become the San Francisco-based Warriors’ official cryptocurrency platform and marketplace for NFTs, or non-fungible tokens. The franchise will start using the platform to sell NFTs in early 2022.
- FTX branding will also appear on the basket pole pads and press table for the Santa Cruz Warriors, the team’s G League affiliate. The G League is the National Basketball Association’s official minor league basketball organization.
- Terms of the deal were not made public. According to a CNBC report citing unidentified people familiar with the matter, it is worth about $10 million.
- “In our conversations with FTX, we quickly realized our joint desire to innovate around cryptocurrency integration and adoption, including the role NFTs play in global fan engagement,” said Warriors president and chief operating officer Brandon Schneider.
- Crypto companies are piling into sports as a way of getting broader brand recognition. Last month, Crypto.com paid a reported $700 million to rename the Los Angeles Staples Center. In March, FTX secured naming rights to the Miami Heat Arena for $135 million, and in August it signed a $17.5 million, 10-year agreement with Cal Athletics for the naming rights to the field at California Memorial Stadium.
- To mark the agreement, FTX.US and the Warriors will give three bitcoin to local organizations that address educational equity.
- In April, the Golden State Warriors began auctioning a series of commemorative NFTs. The collection included various editions of the team’s six NBA Championship rings and 10 commemorative ticket stubs. The sale finished with its 1-of-1 6x World Championship Ring selling for 285.111 ETH at $871,591.27.
Read more: FTX Looks to Expand Globally Through Local Partners, Bankman-Fried Says
