Naomi Osaka has been in the headlines for most of 2021, making news with her impressive talent, dedication to her platform and for spreading mental health awareness. Now, she has announced a partnership with fellow sports star Tom Brady, who she called a “role model” of hers.
On Wednesday, Osaka announced her latest business venture — dropping her NFTs on Autograph, a platform co-founded by Brady.
NFT’s or non-fungible tokens are digital assets that are being bought and sold in the same way as physical assets.
Per Autograph‘s official website, it is “an NFT platform that brings together the most iconic brands and legendary names in sports, entertainment, and culture to create unique digital collections and experiences.”
Osaka’s highly anticipated NFTs dropped Wednesday afternoon.
Per the official press release, Osaka’s NFTs were “released on an hourly basis from 3 p.m. – 7 p.m. ET, and each assortment is expected to sell out within minutes similar to Tom Brady and Wayne Gretzky’s drops.”
Osaka opened up to People Magazine about the exciting partnership, and why she decided to go with Autograph.
“It seemed like a very cool opportunity, and when Tom Brady asked me to join the Advisory Board and create my own NFTs, I knew I couldn’t say no,” she said. “There are some real sports legends working with Autograph — Tiger Woods, Wayne Gretzky — it’s pretty awesome to be in their company.”
“NFTs bring together art, design, and technology in a way that really speaks to the way we consume media these days. The more I work with and experience the crypto and NFT space I see how easily they can be bought, sold, and gamified.”
She then spoke about working with Brady, sharing, “Tom inspires me in so many ways as an athlete and an entrepreneur. He’s always rethinking the playbook and pushing boundaries while remaining so true to himself, which is something I try to do as well.”
She continued: “He has led himself both on and off the field with grace and has been a great role model. I am excited to be a part of this and to continue to learn and grow in other areas of my life.”
As theGrio previously reported, Osaka has another business venture coming down the line, her skincare line Kinlò. In the latest Women’s Health cover story, she opened up about the line, saying, “Playing in the sun since I was 3, I don’t even second-guess sunscreen and sun care…I never imagined how eye-opening the statistics on skin cancer in brown and Black skin would be.”
She added, “It wasn’t enough to make products that didn’t turn our dark skin white and didn’t have harsh chemicals. I also wanted to dispel the myth that just because you have dark skin and don’t burn means you don’t need to take care of and protect that skin.”
Osaka’s NFTs are available for purchase on Autograph.io and the DraftKings Marketplace.
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