DraftKings Continues NFT Push With Metabilia Partnership

Blockworks exclusive: Sports betting company will be exclusive distributor of NFTs that feature budding MLB stars

article-image

Source: Shutterstock

share

key takeaways

  • DraftKings seeks to continue delving deeper into the NFT space by “aligning with Web3-centric partners”
  • The company launched its first in-house NFT collection in March ahead of the NCAA’s college basketball tournament

DraftKings has teamed up with NFT company Metabilia as it looks to continue capturing what the company considers to be rising demand for digital sports collectibles. 

The sports betting company is set to release NFTs featuring some of the youngest Major League Baseball stars as part of the collaboration. The collection includes NFTs of Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Ronald Acuña Jr., Shane Bieber, Wander Franco, Joe Musgrove and Fernando Tatís Jr. 

Called NFT Membership collectibles, owners will be rewarded with various event-based NFTs throughout the season, which will correspond to milestones or accomplishments for the respective athletes.

“DraftKings will continue to push its footprint within the NFT industry by continuously aligning with Web3-centric partners to produce curated content that resonates with our DraftKings users,” a spokesperson told Blockworks.

“[We will focus] on providing unique experiences and collectibles in the sports and entertainment space and a frictionless way for our users to interact with those.”

DraftKings Marketplace, which the company launched last August, will be the exclusive distributor of Metabilia NFTs. The marketplace was already the exclusive distributor of sports-related NFT content from Autograph, a company co-founded by Tom Brady.  

Metabilia has multi-year partnerships with franchises in the NFL and NBA and has direct deals with more than 40 athletes.

“At Metabilia, we are focused on delivering NFT collectible programs that deliver high-quality benefits for the long term, and our Membership NFT programs allow fans to show their support for a young athlete and be a part of his or her journey,” Metabilia CEO Joseph De Perio said in a statement.

DraftKings Marketplace has incorporated many iconic sports stars on its platform, including Derek Jeter’s first-ever NFTs ahead of his Hall of Fame induction last year.

The company launched its first in-house NFT collection in March ahead of the NCAA’s college basketball tournament.

The 2022 College Hoops Collection was the first within a planned Primetime NFT Series that will drop around other major sporting events, Beth Beiriger, DraftKings’ senior vice president of marketplace operations, told Blockworks at the time.


Get the news in your inbox. Explore Blockworks newsletters:

Tags

Decoding crypto and the markets. Daily, with Byron Gilliam.

Upcoming Events

Old Billingsgate

Mon - Wed, October 13 - 15, 2025

Blockworks’ Digital Asset Summit (DAS) will feature conversations between the builders, allocators, and legislators who will shape the trajectory of the digital asset ecosystem in the US and abroad.

Industry City | Brooklyn, NY

TUES - THURS, JUNE 24 - 26, 2025

Permissionless IV serves as the definitive gathering for crypto’s technical founders, developers, and builders to come together and create the future.If you’re ready to shape the future of crypto, Permissionless IV is where it happens.

Brooklyn, NY

SUN - MON, JUN. 22 - 23, 2025

Blockworks and Cracked Labs are teaming up for the third installment of the Permissionless Hackathon, happening June 22–23, 2025 in Brooklyn, NY. This is a 36-hour IRL builder sprint where developers, designers, and creatives ship real projects solving real problems across […]

recent research

Research Report Templates.png

Research

Maple Finance has successfully navigated significant market challenges through its strategic pivot to secured lending (Maple v2) and the launch of its Syrup product. Syrup has become a primary growth driver, delivering sustainable, outperforming stablecoin yields and rapidly increasing TVL. The upcoming custody-first Bitcoin staking product (istBTC) presents another significant avenue for expansion. Crucially, Maple has achieved operational profitability, a key inflection point that, combined with a fully vested token and active buyback mechanism, strengthens its investment case. While valuation metrics suggest potential undervaluation relative to peers and growth, the primary forward-looking risk identified is the long-term sustainability of its current high-take-rate collateral staking revenue model.

article-image

In 2014, Microsoft virus scanners were detecting viruses in Bitcoin software

article-image

Ledn’s Mauricio Di Bartolomeo explained how this cycle’s been different for the lender

article-image

The shorts looking for funding range from charming animated series to gritty live-action dramas

article-image

Money, it turns out, is emergent, like consciousness

article-image

Bridge flows churn in both directions as risk appetite returns