Former professional basketball player Scottie Pippen, who is considered to be the greatest small forward of all time, has disappointed the cryptocurrency community with his much-hyped announcement.
His big reveal was the tokenization of the iconic 1991 Game 5 championship ball from the legendary Chicago Bulls vs. Los Angeles Lakers Finals.
"Thirty-three years later, I'm making history again by tokenizing this historic ball on the blockchain. So, let's make history together as you can officially be a part of this legendary moment," Pippen said in a video statement.
A legendary game
Back in 1991, MVP Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls managed to secure their very first NBA championship. Jordan managed to score 30 points and his teammate Pippen hit for 32. They secured the first-ever NBA title for the Bulls, defeating the Los Angeles Lakers with Earvin “Magic” Johnson. After dominating throughout the 80s, the Lakers were no longer the most successful team.
Tomiwabold OlajideThe Bulls went on to clinch six championship wins between 1991 and 1998, which is widely considered to be the greatest run in North America's sports history.
This is not the first time that Pippen has ventured into the cryptocurrency space. In 2022, he launched his NFT collection, which ended up selling out in a world record-breaking two minutes.
Earlier this month, he also stirred debates between Ethereum and Solana communities with his social media post.
Community backlash
Pippen's recent announcement has attracted strong backlash from the community, with many community members accusing the NBA legend of desperation. "This is too lame to watch. Why do people speculate on a basketball lmao," one user wrote. It is worth noting that the tokens will not represent physical ownership of the ball.
Some have also criticized the NBA legend for missing an opportunity to introduce his own celebrity meme coin. That said, Pippen's decision not to launch a meme coin seems to be prudent since the latest crypto fad fueled by influencers like Iggy Azalea seems to be over.
Every single celebrity meme coin launched on the Solana blockchain is down with an average decrease of an average 94%. Even the best-performing meme coins are all down more than 70%.
Denys Serhiichuk
Tomiwabold Olajide
