PARIS & NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sorare, the global sports entertainment company, today announces the auction of the first ever licensed digital collectibles of the top 5 NBA draft picks, ahead of the 2023-24 National Basketball Association (NBA) 2023-24 season.
To mark the historic draft, Sorare is providing Managers with the opportunity to collect and play with Special Edition cards of first overall draft pick Victor Wembanyama (San Antonio Spurs), Brandon Miller (Charlotte Hornets), Scoot Henderson (Portland Trail Blazers), Amen Thompson (Houston Rockets), and Ausar Thompson (Detroit Pistons).
Now a San Antonio Spur, Wembanyama is the first Frenchman, and only the second European, ever to be drafted with the first overall draft pick in the NBA Draft. At only 19 years old, Wembanyama’s upcoming NBA debut is one of the most anticipated in recent years. He has played the past three seasons in France’s highest pro level, and was the league’s 2023 MVP, top scorer, and Defensive Player of the Year.
In five separate auctions beginning on July 9, 2023, Sorare Managers will be able to bid on Special Edition cards of these players.
Each card will include a Rookie Badge and will be part of the Rare card population for the 2023-2024 season. In competitions, these 5 NBA Draft Special Edition cards will have a 10% XP Bonus throughout the 2023-2024 season.
The auctions come ahead of the start of Sorare’s second season as the Official NFT Fantasy Partner of the NBA and the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA). Last season, the top scoring rookie - the player in their first NBA season who scored the most Sorare points - was Oklahoma City Thunder player Jalen Williams, with 1328 points, a benchmark Wembanyama and others will be looking to break this season. The three most popular players last season on Sorare were Nic Claxton (Brooklyn Nets), Luka Dončić (Dallas Mavericks), and Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks).
Nicolas Julia, CEO and co-founder at Sorare, said:
“As a French NBA fan, I followed this year’s draft with great interest. It’s been an exciting start to what should be another great season in the NBA - the second during which we’ve been proud partners. As part of our partnership with the NBA, we’re delighted to launch new Special Edition Rare cards of the top 5 draft pick players ahead of the coming 2023-24 season. We’re committed to giving fans new ways to connect with their favourite stars and this will give Sorare Managers the chance to own a truly unique part of NBA history, add exciting players to their collection, and play their digital player cards in their lineups.”
Josh Goodstadt, Chief Commercial Officer of THINK450 shared:
“This year’s draft class is one of the most eagerly anticipated in years, and we look forward to celebrating these players as they take the court as newly minted NBPA members. We are excited that our fans can be a part of special moments like these through our ongoing partnership with Sorare, and specifically this new opportunity to collect Special Edition Rare cards of 2023’s top 5 draft picks on the Sorare: NBA game. This will give fans a new way to create a meaningful connection with these exceptional young players.”
About Sorare
Sorare was founded by Nicolas Julia and Adrien Montfort in 2018 in Paris to bring sports fans across the globe closer to the players, teams, and leagues they love.
Sorare is a fantasy sports gaming experience and marketplace featuring officially licensed digital player cards. With Sorare you build legacy teams – buying, selling, collecting and trading digital player cards -- and compete with them in free-to-play fantasy games to win rewards week over week and season over season, just like a professional sports owner.
Sorare is revolutionising digital sports fandom, and now has over 5 million users across 180 countries. More than 300 iconic teams, clubs, and organisations including the Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga, Serie A, MLS, NBA, NBPA, MLB, MLBPA, and many others have partnered with Sorare to build the next sports entertainment giant.
With 160-plus employees across France and New York, Sorare is one of Europe’s fastest-growing startups and recently raised a $680 million Series B funding round at a $4.3 billion valuation from world-class investors including SoftBank, Accel, and Benchmark. Sorare also has athletes Serena Williams, Lionel Messi, Zinedine Zidane, Rio Ferdinand, Antoine Griezmann, Gerard Piqué, Blake Griffin, and Rudy Gobert among its investors, ambassadors, and advisors.
