Dwight Howard Hosts Exclusive AMA on KB24 NFT Discord

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Last Saturday night, NBA star Dwight Howard made a guest appearance on the KB24 NFT Discord. The KB24 NFT is a charitable project, slated to launch on October 8th, on Kobe Bryant’s legacy website. It honors the late Lakers legend, with all proceeds going directly to the Mamba and Mambacita Foundation. 

Howard, along with many current and ex NBA players, had been raving about the new KB24 NFT project on Twitter, before joining the Discord. What started as a couple of comments to fans on the Discord turned into a full on “Ask Me Anything” session consisting of Howard sharing some of his favorite Kobe memories for 10 minutes.  

While Bryant and Howard only played together on the Lakers during the 2012-2013 season, their careers overlapped for 15 years after Howard entered the league in 2004.  

Dwight Howard Recalls Exclusive Stories About Kobe Bryant 

During the AMA, Dwight recounted a special conversation that he had with Kobe during the off season, after the Lakers defeated the Orlando Magic in five games in the NBA Finals. Although they weren’t teammates at the time, Kobe offered invaluable advice when asked what he needed to do to get better.  

Dwight recounts the respect that Kobe demonstrated in their conversation, saying, “we had just got finished by him in the finals and for him to take out his time you know to talk to me and stuff like that you know it really made me go harder the next season.” 

With basketball figures like Dwight Howard supporting KB24 NFT, it’s safe to say we can continue to expect bigger and better things from the KB24 team. If you weren’t able to hop on the KB24 NFT Discord for this special AMA, check out a short clip on the KB24 NFT Youtube where Dwight Howard discusses everything from discovering what Kobe’s favorite movie was to words of wisdom passed between the two. 

KB24 NFT Art Project: How It All Started 

The KB24 NFT is being presented on Bryant’s former website, which may be familiar to longtime fans of his historic NBA career. 

Launched in the year 2006, KB24.com was initially Bryant’s personal website to engage with fans. Aside from being a platform for Bryant to communicate with his fans, the site offered exclusive merchandise that could only be purchased on the website. 

The domain was dropped and no longer controlled by Bryant after he retired from the NBA in late 2016. Within a short amount of time, the KB24 website was seized by a shady overseas group, who used it to direct unsuspecting visitors to harmful online content. 

The KB24 team bought the domain earlier this year after they discovered it on the secondary market while working one night. Although the acquisition price was not disclosed, the team paid a huge amount to take control of their idol’s domain. In essence, Kobe’s official website was meant to be restored to its original integrity. 

KB24 NFT Collectibles: Who Is Behind It? 

Andy Treys and Sako Waves, two lifelong Kobe fans and digital entrepreneurs, founded the KB24 NFT. Growing up, the duo frequented the site to keep up with their basketball idol. 

Sako and Andy are digital marketing specialists who leverage influencers and viral marketing into startups to build online brands. The idea of an NFT wasn’t the initial plan for the pair, who wanted to restore the integrity of Bryant’s former site.  

After consulting with their attorney, along with several of their mentors, they decided to do something special with the site and give back to Bryant’s own Foundation. 

After calling on their long-time business partners Omkar Ganesan, Roman Royale, Vatche Ourishian, and Erin Zadoorian, they assembled the key technical and marketing resources to get the project on its feet. 

During a week-long visit to San Diego, CA, the team got the project off the ground. They then began spreading awareness about the project using their resources and wide network of influencers and key figures. 

Along the way, the team recruited Tory Waligroski as a consultant and appointed longtime collaborator Elijah Steen as creative director. 

“The KB24 NFT project has been endorsed by a large group of volunteers, all of whom are happy to donate their time and resources without expecting anything in return. Kobe Bryant has touched so many people’s lives,” Andy explains. “As we near the launch date, we will provide more details on those helping with the project.” 

It was the sole goal of the newly formed KB24 Team to create a digital asset that would benefit the Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation for all time. The Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation will receive 100% of the proceeds generated from the dropping of the NFT. 

The NFT project was not preplanned, according to the team in KB24 Discord server

Furthermore, the Foundation will receive all royalties related to the sales associated with the KB24 NFT. Each of these unique NFTs will automatically donate back to the Foundation 10% of their sale price when sold. The NFT team aims to make charitable contributions further than ever before by leveraging the strong ecosystem of the NFT platform. 

Sako says, “The market for digital NFTs has been booming over the past year since investors looked to enter the space. We want to utilize this momentum to enhance the love of basketball and sports in communities by funding non-profit organizations.” 

Kobe’s career will be on every one of the 10,000 NFTs, which will include unique moments, attributes, and achievements. KB24 is a project that aims to showcase Kobe’s greatest achievements and simultaneously provide his fans with the opportunity to partake and possess a piece of his legacy. 

A purple and gold-themed landing page outlines the details of the KB24 project as soon as you arrive at the KB24 website. With its artwork and design, the site pays homage to Bryant. Its design was created by Marina Petre, the lead designer of the project. 

A presale for the NFT was open only to fans who registered for their spots before Sept. 13th, 2021. 

Community Manager Elden Mirz found the response from fans both overwhelming and exciting.  “The KB24 NFT thanks all the fans who decided to undertake brand new roles to assist us.” 

KB24’s Discord server will announce contests daily on which fans can participate in the presale. According to current reservations and demand, the project will sell out instantly. For the Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation, this project could generate more than $3 million, per early estimates. 

According to an early analysis, the foundation could earn upwards of $50 million purely from aftermarket fees. 

A sneak preview was made available on Friday, September 17th on the project’s official Discord server. 

The team hopes this project will disrupt the current system used by traditional charities since the proceeds will go directly to the Foundation. Through the Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation, this project will also help impact the lives of thousands of children. 

Kobe Bryant will be celebrated in every NFT in the collection, paying homage to his accomplishments & moments throughout his legendary career. 

The KB24 team plans to keep this project alive for a long time, unlike many cash-grab NFT endeavors that are currently popping up. A large part of the reason for this is Bryant’s influence & legacy, which has built a huge fan base around the world. NFTs of the legendary icon will be available for collectors and traders alike. 

Added bonus: the website will offer a wall for NFT holders to upload their favorite photos and memories of the star. 

What is the KB24 NFT? 

Established on the Ethereum blockchain, the KB24 NFTs are a set of 10,000 unique pieces of digital art. The KB24 has designed base layers, which will be applied to the NFTs through an algorithm. 

Over 100 attributes will be randomly assigned across the 10,000 NFTs, according to the official Discord server. A total of eight categories of attributes will be announced including Jerseys, Accomplishments, Accessories, and others we have not heard about yet. The number of possible combinations may be millions; among those, 10,000 can be minted. This leaves room for some rare combinations to be minted by several lucky fans. 

Is This an Official Collaboration Between the Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation and the KB24 NFT? 

Per the team’s official Discord, the project has received approval from the Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation and are in active talks. As stated by Treys, the project is operating under the full guidance of the Foundation’s legal team. The team hopes to share more details about this in the coming week. 

The Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation will receive 100% of the proceeds from the initial sale of 10,000 KB24 NFT. Every transaction on the resale market will also incur a fee of 10% which will be donated in full to the Foundation.  

Missed the Dwight Howard AMA? There May Be More To Come 

If you missed the recent AMA with Dwight Howard, you may not be out of luck for long. There are rumors around the project’s Discord & Twitter pages suggesting other future collaborations with celebrities and NBA stars close to the late Lakers icon. Visit the official KB24 Discord & Twitter to stay up to date regarding the latest news & future announcements about the NFT. 

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