More on Kansas Jayhawks men’s basketball players’ next money-making opportunity: NFTs
Kansas men’s basketball players will turn to the world of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) in an effort to make some additional money under the NCAA’s name, image and likeness guidelines.
The company Mercury announced Monday that it would be partnering with the KU men’s basketball team to create online collectibles that will be available for purchase while benefiting the players.
NFTs are tokens that create an online way to obtain one-of-a-kind ownership of a particular item. Mercury wrote in Monday’s release that it would begin its KU alliance with “offerings from head coach Bill Self as well as players including Ochai Agbaji, David McCormack, Remy Martin.”
KU’s NFTs will first be available on Feb. 19.
“I’ve always been proud to be part of this historical basketball program, and I see this as another cutting-edge opportunity for the University of Kansas,” Agbaji said in a release. “I’m excited that we are at the forefront of NFTs in the NCAA and how this technology will create an entirely new platform for us to engage with the best fans in college sports.”
Mercury said Monday that the announced alliance was “one of the first to combine a university licensed NFT deal with a name, image and likeness (NIL) deal that supports student-athletes through a personalized NFT platform.”
The company, which started working with Kentucky basketball in December, also said it was exploring opportunities with other KU teams.
