Shaquille O'Neal Launches 'Shaq Gives Back' NFT Collection for Charity

Former NBA player and entrepreneur Shaquille O' Neal, popularly known as "Shaq," announced that he's stepping into Web 3.0 this holiday season with the launch of his NFT collection, "Shaq Gives Back." Launched on the NFT platform Notables, here's how to grab the "Shaq Gives Back" NFT.

Not a stranger to the world of digital collectibles, Shaq has already launched an NFT collection on the Ethernity Chain platform. He has also had other NFTs as his profile picture on Twitter, like the New York City artist Danny Cole's Creature World NFT.

Now, Shaq seems to be doubling down with his new venture and changed his Twitter handle to "SHAQ.ETH," which suggests that he has purchased an ENS (Ethereum Name Service) domain.

Launched on Dec. 22, the NFT collection is a portrait of Shaq by artist Kent Floris. The collection is supported on the Ethereum network. The collection consists of 10,000 1-of-1 Shaq NFTs displaying the "many faces of Shaq." The portrait serves as a template for the numerous traits, expressions, and accessories that each algorithmically generated with varying degrees of rarity.

The minting price for the NFT is 0.05ETH, which is currently valued at $198.60. With nearly half of the collection minted, users can also purchase the NFT through the secondary market. On OpenSea, the floor price—the cheapest NFTs—is 0.029ETH.

At this price, the NFT could get purchased for approximately $83 less than the minting price on Notable, but remember, all of the proceeds go to charity.

For users interested in grabbing a "Shaq Gives Back" NFT, they need to:

• Make sure a browser extension wallet like Metamask gets downloaded
• Have enough Ether to cover the minting price and transaction fee

Once the wallet is topped off, users can head to the Notables website and find the live launches. The "public mint" is open until the collection sells out.

Fully representing the personality of Shaq, and the many talents the Hall of Famer acquired over the years, the collection is an embodiment of his colorful career. Using the technology to help raise funds for charity seems to be the core utility of this collection.

While crypto natives are usually apprehensive when celebrities create an NFT collection since they get viewed as "cash grabs," many people have been taking Shaq's news rather positively.

On Twitter, one user commented on the announcement of the collection and said "...it's impossible not to like anything from you," which reaffirms O' Neal's charm and overall likeability with fans.

Although it isn't clear if this collection will provide any other utility besides for charitable causes, the former NBA player collaborated with fellow NFT creator Gary Vaynerchuk, better known as Gary Vee, to promote the launch.

Given Shaq'sTwitter handle change and his second NFT collection launch, it will be interesting to see what this gentle giant has up his sleeve next.