EXCLUSIVE: Scottie Pippen On NFT Launch, Connecting With Fans In A New Way, Sneakers In Video Games - Ethereum (ETH/USD), Nike (NYSE:NKE)

Web3 entertainment company Orange Comet partnered with NBA legend Scottie Pippen on an NFT collection launch.

Pippen shared with Benzinga his history with NFTs and why he’s excited about the launch of his collection.

Getting Introduced to NFTs: Pippen told Benzinga he’s been hearing about NFTs for a while and began following the sector in the last few months.

“I started doing some research on Twitter where the Web3 community and my fans helped me learn more,” Pippen said. “From what I saw, I knew there was an opportunity to do something different that would allow me to connect with my fans in a new way.”

Pippen said his children have not gotten heavily involved in the world of cryptocurrency and NFTs.

“I do see them playing video games all the time. They’re dressing up their avatars, and I think it’s really cool that they could be rocking SP33s from the collection. This is the future and it’s something that will only get more popular with time. I love that I’ll be able to say that I was one of the firsts to do it.”

What are SP33s? Read on.

The Scottie Pippen NFT Collection: On Dec. 20, Pippen and partner Orange Comet are launching a 1,000-piece collection called “Scottie Pippen SP33.” The NFTs are “unique metawear sneakers” and digital wearables for the future.

On Dec. 20, the mint will be live at 2 p.m. ET for Allowlist members and 2:30 p.m. ET for the public mint. The NFTs have a mint price of 0.20 Ethereum ETH/USD and on Monday are highlighted on the Opensea main page.

“I’ve been a sneakerhead for as long as I can remember, so it was an easy decision to create an NFT collection that combines my passion for shoes with my love of the game,” Pippen said.

Several owners will get additional perks with the mint with 33 lucky owners getting physical shoes with Pippen’s autograph, 33 owners awarded $100 gift cards for sneakers, two people going on a golf outing with Pippen and one person receiving a hometown visit and dinner with Pippen.

All owners of the new NFTs will have digital sneakers that are metaverse and game ready.

Orange Comet co-founder and CEO Dave Broome told Benzinga that every product launched by the company has a goal of delivering creative content in Web3 and providing real value.

“We think we achieved that with this Scottie Pippen launch,” Broome said.

Broome said Pippen was one of the greatest NBA players and also had some “pretty sick sneakers over the years.”

“It’s not often you get to partner in a project with one of the greatest basketball players of all time. So, just getting your hands on one of the limited pairs of Scottie Pippen NFTs sneakers is super special.”

Broome told Benzinga that the 1,000-piece collection features all unique pieces with every sneaker being a “unique 1/1.”

“The community and utility around a project such as this are also critical to us. Scottie is passionate about Web3 and continues to learn more about blockchain technology. So, we feel that fans buying into the project are going to get a chance to be part of a community with a real legend and icon.”

Broome said the SP33 NFTs have a “pygital” element combining digital and physical. Select people will get physical shoes as part of the collection along with all being digital sneakers.

“Every sneaker is a game-ready asset. You can flex in mods for GTA, Roblox and more.”

Related Link: What Is A Non-Fungible Token?

About Orange Comet: Pippen praised the team at Orange Comet for getting him set up in the Web3 space: “It’s been an amazing experience working with Dave [Broome] and Orange Comet on the SP33 collection. Dante [Ferrarini] and his talented team have been able to bring my vision to life and really create something special that I know my fans will love.”

Broome said that when it came to the Web3 sector, we’re still early.

“We are barely in the first inning — or since we’re talking about Scottie Pippen, I’ll say that it’s barely been ‘jump ball’ in the world of NFTs and Web3,” Broome told Benzinga. “Blockchain technology is truly game-changing and we need to remember that the fundamentals behind that technology are incredibly strong.”

Broome believes Orange Comet is one of the companies set for the future of Web3 and can help onboard more people to the space, not just people looking to make a quick profit.

All owners of the Scottie Pippen NFTs will get Allowlist access to an upcoming Orange Comet launch of physical and digital wearables called Corrupted, set for a 2023 launch.

Orange Comet was founded by Broome, Gloria Estefan, Emilio Estefan and Kurt Warner.

Scottie Pippen Legacy: Pippen played in the NBA for 17 seasons, including 12 with the Chicago Bulls. During his time with the Bulls, Pippen helped lead the team to six NBA Championships alongside Michael Jordan. The Bulls of the 1990s are considered one of the most dominant NBA teams of all time.

Pippen played 1,178 NBA games and averaged 16.1 points, 6.4 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game. Pippen was named one of the 50 greatest NBA players of all time and is one of only seven NBA players to hit the 3,000 points, 1,000 rebounds and 1,000 assists career milestones in the NBA Playoffs.

As a member of Team USA, Pippen won two gold medals in 1992 and 1996. In 2010, Pippen was inducted into the NBA Basketball Hall of Fame.

While playing in the NBA, Pippen had an endorsement deal with apparel and footwear company Nike Inc NKE.

During an NBA game, player Tyrese Haliburton wore a pair of Nike shoes featuring his Bored Ape Yacht Club NFT. Benzinga asked Pippen if he would have ever rocked an NFT on his shoes during an NBA game.

“For sure!” Pippen told Benzinga.

Photo: Scottie Pippen, 1995, Chicago Bulls, photo by Lipofsky Basketballphoto.com via Wikimedia Commons