Iconic Sports Illustrated Covers Getting NFT Treatment: Here's How You Can Get One

Sports Illustrated is launching non-fungible tokens of some of its iconic covers in a new deal announced this week.

What Happened: Sports Illustrated, an Authentic Brands Group company, announced a partnership with OneOf to create a non-fungible token collection of several of its magazine covers.

The collection includes covers featuring athletes Muhammad Ali, Shaquille O’Neal, Emmitt Smith, Jerry Rice, Billie Jean King, Wayne Gretzky, Mia Hamm, Dale Earnhardt Jr and Dick Butkus.

The NFTs will be available on the Polygon MATIC/USD blockchain.

“Thinking about the time I was on the cover of Sports Illustrated brings back many great memories for me,” Jerry Rice said. “This NFT collection will allow me to connect with my fans in a unique way, and it’s really exciting to watch how technology and innovation keeps evolving.”

The NFTs will feature the iconic Sports Illustrated covers interpreted by award-winning 3D animation artist Jonathan Winbush.

“This collaboration with Sports Illustrated to mint legendary athletes’ NFTs on the energy-efficient Polygon blockchain is the perfect way to launch our Sports and Lifestyle marketplace, and we are excited for the opportunity to engage millions of sports fans worldwide,” OneOf co-founder and COO Josh James said.

Related Link: How To Buy NFTs 

What’s Next: The first NFTs will feature Smith, Rice and Butkus and will be available after Super Bowl LVI.

“I am thrilled to be releasing my first NFT collection with Sports Illustrated and one of, leaders in the emerging tech and NFT space,” Smith said. “Over the years, I have enjoyed finding new ways to engage with my fans, and I am excited to share with the world what we created together.”

After the drops of the Smith, Rice and Butkus NFTs, a rare Super Diamond NFT will be released called “The Greatest Play That Never Was.” The rare NFT will feature the three athletes together.