The NBA X account was hacked on Tuesday, as multiple posts hawking a cryptocurrency coin were made before being taken down.
On Tuesday afternoon, a post made to the NBA’s official X account and its 48million followers read: ‘The NBA is taking the game to the next level. Introducing $NBA Coin! our official digital asset on Solana, designed to enhance fan engagement and the future of sports transactions. 41’
The post then featured a ‘contract address’ – a long collection of random numbers and letters – as well as a picture of a fake press release.
The release promised that NBA Coin would provide ‘lightning fast transactions, unparalleled security and seamless integration into the Web3 landscape.’
The post was made on at least two separate occasions to the NBA account – and separately to the NBA Spain account – before they were all eventually removed.
The league later confirmed to Front Office Sports that the posts were the result of a hack.
The NBA confirmed on Tuesday afternoon that its X account had been hacked
A post on the league’s official X account hawking a cryptocurrency coin was made
The NBA has aligned itself with the crypto world before, namely with NBA Top Shot
The NBA also has an Instagram account with nearly 90million followers and a Facebook page with 50million followers, though it doesn’t appear that those pages were victims of the cyber attack.
While the NBA Coin post on Tuesday was not legitimate, the league has been associated with the cryptocurrency world before.
In 2020, NBA Top Shot – a blockchain-based marketplace where fans can buy and sell highlights – began operating for public use (Blockchain is the technology that allows cryptocurrency to exist).
The marketplace features official NBA (and WNBA) highlights, and it is backed by the Association itself, as well as the Players’ Association.
