WNBA: On Wednesdays, they drop NFTs

The GIST: Dapper Labs, the parent company of NBA Top Shot, found a new way to toast the upcoming WNBA season — weekly NFT drops. On Tuesday, the parties announced the “W Wednesdays” NFT collection, celebrating the top players and moments from 2021.

The details: Each Wednesday, a W player will pick their favorite 2021 highlight to be converted into a limited edition NFT. Top Shot users can then acquire the NFT by participating in a corresponding Top Shot Challenge.

• W Wednesdays will spotlight five W stars — Las Vegas Ace A’ja Wilson, Washington Mystic Elena Delle Donne, Minnesota Lynx Napheesa Collier, Phoenix Mercury Diamond DeShields and Dallas Wing Arike Ogunbowale.

Zooming out: NBA Top Shot isn’t new to the W — it first partnered with the league on an NFT collection back in August. W Wednesdays, though, marks a clear intention by the male-focused company to further invest in women’s sports.

• W Wednesdays has the potential to serve as a proof-of-concept, too. Alexis Ohanian, co-founder of the NWSL’s Angel City FC, projected just last year that NFTs will be an integral part of the women’s sports boom.