It was only ever a matter of time before flamboyant and controversial Australian tennis bad boy Nick Kyrgios exploited the burgeoning non-fungible token (NFT) market, and his first Grand Slam title has afforded him the ideal opportunity with the launch of his “King Collection” series.
With boyhood friend and makeshift doubles partner Thanasi Kokkinakis, Kyrgios (above, right) won the Australian Open men’s doubles championship last weekend, the pair sharing a lucrative A$675,000 purse for their trouble.
When $337,500 is Only the Beginning
But for a man of Kyrgios’s prodigious proclivities, that was never going to be enough. For added value, five Kyrgios “reaction moments” from the tournament will be released as NFTs in a limited run of 22 priced at US$399 apiece. The first of each of the five series will be an ‘Ultra Rare Gold’ moment, to be auctioned off over the next five days.
Those five series (with descriptions, one suspects, supplied by Kyrgios himself, though the exclamation points are ours) are:
- Bring The Heat: He sets the court aflame whenever he steps out! He is King Kyrgios!
- Fly Higher: First Australia, then the world! Nick doesn’t care for limits!
- Let’s Dance: This is no last dance for Kyrgios! This is only the beginning!
- LFG: He says it how it is! But we won’t repeat it here! (OK, we will then: “Let’s f..king go!”)
- Tongue Time: Sometimes the celebration takes over! Control on the court is key, but once you win it’s OK to let loose!
A ‘Hyper Rare Diamond’ NFT celebrating the actual moment Kyrgios and Kokkinakis claimed their doubles title will also be auctioned off as part of the drop at a starting price of (gulp) US$9,999.
But Wait! There’s More!
If that were not enough, a further drop of 2022 NFTs celebrating the year of Kyrgios’s maiden Grand Slam title will be priced at US$20.22 each. At least most of his fans may find these affordable.
I’m all about the fans and the fan experience so this feels like another great way to connect. NFTs are the future of collectibles and I always want to be on the cutting edge and to advance our sport.
Nick Kyrgios, tennis professional, NFT entrepreneur
The Nick Kyrgios NFT collection (officially and more regally dubbed the King Collection – as in “Nick is here to leave a mark, and to usher in the next gen of sports stars”) – is available to purchase here.
However well Kyrgios does with his NFT drop, it will no doubt run a distant second to the Australian Open (AO) Art Ball NFT metaverse project that has generated US$4.4 million (A$6m) in trading volume since early January in the lead-up to the tournament proper, which concluded last weekend.
Source: Crypto News
