Shaq Commemorates His Career With 'The Eras of Dominance' NFT Collection
Four-time NBA champion and serial entrepreneur Shaquille O'Neal is commemorating his career with the release of an NFT collection, "The Eras of Dominance."
Oct. 5 2021, Published 8:38 a.m. ET
Four-time NBA champion and serial entrepreneur Shaquille O'Neal, also known as Shaq, has hopped on the NFT train with his recent investment in two Creature World NFTs by New York City artist Danny Cole. Shaq has also announced the upcoming release of his NFT collection, "Shaquille O'Neal: The Eras of Dominance." Many collectors want to know how to buy it.
The collection will be released in partnership with the Ethernity Chain and dropped on Ethernity, an Ethereum layer 2 platform.
“Shaquille O’Neal: The Eras of Dominance Collection" NFTs
O'Neal's NFT collection will consist of five unique NFTs depicting scenes from the three teams he played for in his career—the Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, and Orlando Magic. Those who purchase NFTs will be automatically be entered to win a pair of size 22 custom shoes, a personal call from Shaq himself, and an exclusive dinner at Shaq's music festival.
When does Shaq's NFT collection release, and how can you buy it?
"Shaquille O'Neal: The Eras of Dominance" collection is set to launch on Oct. 15 on Ethernity. To participate in the drop, users will have to buy Ethernity's native ERN token, which can be purchased either on Uniswap or Binance.
Besides being used to purchase authenticated NFTs, ERN tokens can unlock further earning potential through staking, and staking unlocks liquidity-providing tokens. Users can lock their ERN tokens to farm STONES, which are tokens that can be redeemed for "exclusive NFTs."
Since Ethernity operates on the Ethereum network, users will not have to integrate another wallet outside of the popularly used MetaMask or Fortmatic wallets. Users must create an account before they can purchase any NFT on the platform and should note that it operates on a "know-you-customer" (KYC) basis.
After every NFT purchase, a percentage is allocated to charities and ERN holders. Ethernity has partnered with other athletes and their collections, including WNBA players and Hall of Fame inductees Tamika Catchings and Swin Cash and Argentine professional soccer player Lionel Messi.
Shaq praised Ethernity, signaling his partnership
Earlier in 2021, Shaq was tweeting and commenting on the quality of Ethernity's launches, which some now speculate signaled his upcoming partnership.
While Ethernity is capturing the attention of many athletes and celebrities, users should note that Ethernity NFTs can operate only on Ethernity—meaning you cannot transfer them out. Limiting collectors to buying and selling on Ethernity incentivizes users to collect and hold onto ERN and maximize its utility. In contrast with other NFT projects, such as Bored Ape Yacht Club, collectors will not have intellectual property (IP) rights on the NFTs they collect on Ethernity.
However limiting Ethernity may feel to some collectors, many sports enthusiasts and fans are supportive of the increased trend in intersecting sports with blockchain technology.
Former NBA player Paul Pierce has now tweeted to ask about NFTs, as he's "looking into joining a great community." Will Pierce be next to launch an NFT collection?
