- Sportswear manufacturer Puma has announced an NFT collection in partnership with NBA star LeMelo Ball
- Dubbed GutterMelo MB.03, the collection will feature limited-edition Puma shoes and will retail for $175
- Puma will allow collectors to purchase the physical kicks represented by the collectibles
Sportswear maker Puma has announced an NFT collection in partnership with popular NBA player LeMelo Ball. Dubbed GutterMelo MB.03, the collection features limited edition Puma shoes and each collectible will retail for $175. Puma will allow collectors to purchase the physical kicks represented by the NFTs, a move that resembles that of its competitor Nike which also has NFT-linked sneakers.
The Phygital Movement is Gaining Momentum
The sportswear manufacturer disclosed that the collection will drop towards the end of this month on OpenSea, adding that collectors wishing to order a physical representation of their NFTs will have until August 20 to do so.
FIRST LOOK: Puma MB.03 “GutterMelo”
The shoes will first drop as an NFT on June 29th pic.twitter.com/6NIIiYzGTq— Sneaker News (@SneakerNews) June 6, 2023
Notably, this isn’t Ball’s first partnership with Puma since he has an ongoing endorsement deal with the sportswear maker that has birthed the MB.03 sneaker line. The sneaker line features colorful sneakers as opposed to Puma’s traditional clean color lines.
However, the NBA star entered the web3 space in 2021 with the release of his own NFT collection. The concept of unveiling collectibles with the option to redeem a physical item is catching up with luxury fashion brand Louis Vuitton being among the latest entities to announce a ‘phygital’ NFT collection called Treasure Trunks.
Nike Leads Sneaker Manufacturers in Web3 Push
Adidas, another sneaker manufacturer, has also ventured into the collectibles world with the ALTS by Adidas NFT collection available to those holding collectibles in the Into The Metaverse NFT series.
Among the top sneaker manufacturers, Nike leads in its web3 push having expressed its interest in the blockchain world since 2019, launched a web3 platform and recently partnered with Electronic Arts to offer in-game NFTs.
With Puma’s increased web3 exploration, it’s yet to be seen whether partnering with a sports star will help drive the collection adoption.
