- Scottie Pippen’s Game 5 BALL on ETH launches with multiple hiccups.
- Famed on-chain detective unfolds ties to controversial NFT project.
- The community on X asks Pippen about possibly shady tokenomics.
NBA legend Scottie Pippen is facing substantial scrutiny after launching his cryptocurrency on Ethereum (ETH): BALL, a token inspired by the Game 5 ball from the Chicago Bulls’ iconic NBA Finals series against the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Backstory of Scottie Pippen’s Tokenized BALL
Winning the inaugural championship ring, Pippen’s flawless performance in Game 5 piled up 32 points, outsourcing Michael Jordan’s 30-point contribution to the championship game. Even though Jordan took home the Most Valuable Player (MVP) trophy, the inseparable tandem of Jordan and Pippen is responsible for arguably the greatest run in American sports history.
"The Chicago Bulls went on to win six championship titles in the 1990s, while the Game 5 ball surprisingly returned as a digital relic. 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 explained in an interview.
Soon after, crypto aficionados on X called out one of the greatest small forwards of all time for sending half of the supply to newly created wallets, raising suspicion.
Sleuth Spots Red Flags on Bulls’ BALL Token
ZachXBT, a famed on-chain detective known for deciphering crypto rug pulls and other scams spotted multiple red flags on Pippen’s project. According to ZachXBT, the smart contract deployer’s address is linked to the Lil’ Hippo NFT project, which was rugged and abandoned years ago.
The blockchain sleuth indicated that Mr. Moe was behind the project. A Web3 enthusiast and cyberpunk, Mr. Moe was called out by multiple crypto enthusiasts on X, with some lashing out at him for allegedly rugging Lil’ Hippo NFT project. “Hey mfer what about lil hippos? I lost over 1k with them bagholding your sh*tty rugpull, you f***ing scammer,” spills out one of the victims.
ZachXBT rewinds to 2022 when Pippen launched his inaugural NFT collection. Back then, the Chicago Bulls legend released his digital shoe collection, Scottie Pippen SP33. What appeared to be a mega-hit in the Web3 world due to selling out in under two minutes later turned into another abandoned NFT project.
Sliding from an all-time peak of 0.34 ETH in December 2022 to 0.007 ETH in May 2024, Scottie Pippen’s NFT project does not stand out from the general NFT market sentiment. However, many crypto enthusiasts on X consider Scottie Pippen’s token launch nothing more than a late entry into the celebrity meme coin bonanza.
On the Flipside
- The BALL token does not represent physical ownership of the Game 5 ball, despite the crypto project’s managers claiming it to be a Real-World Asset (RWA)- based cryptocurrency.
Why This Matters
Celebrities getting into crypto have the potential to bolster adoption and open doors for supporters to engage in the Web3 realm, but also carry a responsibility to not deceive their fans.
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