B4 | Thursday, April 1, 2021 | beaumontenterprise.com |Beaumont Enterprise SPORTS

BASKETBALL Sports cards have gone digital, and in a big way

By Matt Ott AP BUSINESS WRITER

SILVER SPRING, Mary- land — Maybe the Luka Don- cic rookie card that recently sold at auction for a record $4.6 million was abit rich for your blood. Per- haps you’d be interested in a more affordable alternative —say, a virtual card of the Dallas Mavericks forward currently listed for a mere $150,000? Not long ago, there’s no way you’d plunk down even $1.50 for a digital image that could be copied for free. But sports trading cards have gone convincingly digital, complete with rare collec- tor’s items and the adrena- Associated Press line rush of opening a fresh This image provided by Dapper Labs shows a pack — minus the stale, shat- LeBron James digital trading card. Sports trading tered plank of powdery bub- cards have gone convincingly virtual thanks to a blegum you might remem- clever use of the technology that underlies Bitcoin ber from childhood. and similar cryptocurrencies. These digital cards, dubbed “moments,” appear “I’m not going to lie, it through a seemingly frivo- on screen as spinning, float- makes me feel like I’m a kid lous and exploitative trend ing digital cubes that each again,” Orlando Magic guard that, to most of us, looks irra- feature a video highlight of Terrence Ross said. “At tional,” Perzanowski said. an NBA player. They sprang lunch, at school trading NBA Gharegozlou insists that into existence just five cards — it’s fun.” Top Shot won’t end up like months ago, after the Cana- Since the beta went live in Dapper’s previous project, NOTICE OF PUBLIC ONLINE AUCTION dian tech startup Dapper October, Top Shot says it has CryptoKitties, a digital cat- Life Storage Labs convinced the NBA that registered more than breeding and trading game In accordance with the provisions of State law, there being due and unpaid charges it could not only prevent 800,000 users and rung up that saw virtual cats selling for which the undersigned is entitled to cheap — well, free — knock- nearly $500 million in sales. for six figures before crash- satisfy an owner and/or manager’s lien of the goods hereinafter described and stor- offs, it could help the NBA March sales should easily ing. The company said prob- ed at the Life Storage location(s) listed make a few bucks in the pro- surpass February sales of lems that plagued CryptoKit- below. Store #130 - 8020 Eastex Frwy, Beaumont, TX 77708 (409-892-6799), cess. $232 million, which was ties — skyrocketing - Damien Drain, Hsld gds/Furn, TV/Stereo Equip, Tools/Applnces, Off What makes all this possi- about five times January chain costs and the inability Furn/Mach/Equip, Acctng rcrds/Sales ble is a clever use of the cryp- turnover. to control its digital invento- Sampls, boxes, sporting goods, Lee Broussard, Hsld gds/Furn, TV/Stereo tocurrency technology “It’s happened really ry — aren’t an issue for Top Equip, Tools/Applnces, Keonte Small, Hsld gds/Furn, TV/Stereo Equip, Veda called blockchain, which al- quickly,” Dapper Labs CEO Shot. Armstead, Hsld gds/Furn, clothes,Store lows the creation of perma- Roham Gharegozlou said. Dapper promotes Top #131 - 9999 Hwy 69, Port Arthur, TX 77640 (409-722-0370), Nykelah Dugas, nent certificates of owner- “We’re sort of scrambling to Shot as both a fun hobby for Hsld Gds/Furn, Boxes, Ashlyn Caples, Hsld Gds/Furn, Tools/Applnces, Kevin ship that can’t be copied or keep up.” collectors and an opportuni- Scott, Boxes, Store #132 - 6970 College deleted. It’s the same tech- After a year of playing ty for investors. “It’s like St, Beaumont, TX 77707 (409-866-9106), Carnell Beard Jr, Hsld Gds/Furn, Quincy nique that recently allowed games to empty arenas amid stock market investing rei- Pete, Hsld Gds/Furn, Store #260 - 188 S. the artist known as Beeple to the pandemic, the NBA is ec- magined for fans,” according LHS Dr, Lumberton, TX 77657 (409-755- 2565), Ashley Paige, Hsld gds/Furn, sell a digital work for almost static about the frenzy. Dap- to one promotional email. Tv/Stereo Equip, Tools/Applnces, Rodger Ellerbee, Hsld gds/Furn, Tv/Stereo $70 million. per Labs, the NBA and its Cards are valued by sever- Equip, Kailey Smart, Hsld gds/Furn, Tv Most moments — typically players share a 5% fee on al different factors, including /Stereo Equip, Tools/Applnces, Store #343 - 9595 Highway 69, Port Arthur, TX ones in heavy circulation — peer-to-peer transactions; some unique measures 77640 (409-729-7253) Sharon Bailey, Hsld gds/Furn, Store #344 - 250 S. cost around $20 and often the league also gets a cut of based on their serial num- Dowlen Rd., Beaumont, TX 77707 (409- below $10. Of course, the big- the pack drop sales. bers. Unsurprisingly, mo- 866-2208), Darrell Hamilton Hsld Gds/Furn,, James Dossett Hsld gest transactions — a LeBron NBA Commissioner Adam ments of the league’s best Gds/Furn, Tools/Applnces, Boxes, Brittney Chardin Hsld Gds/Furn,. Tonia James dunk recently went Silver told The Associated players tend to be more valu- Andrews Hsld Gds/Furn, clothes/shoes, for $210,000 — get the most Press: “I think we’re just able. The rarer a moment is, Polly Saavedra Hsld Gds/Furn, Tools/Applnces, Acctng rcrds/Sales attention. Despite some ear- scratching the surface on the more expensive it’s likely Sampls Tonya Brown TV/Stereo Equip, ly tech hiccups, the NBA says what the potential is for to be. The lower the card Hsld Gds/Furn, Boxes, Kirkni Richardson Hsld Gds/Furn, TV/Stereo Equip, it is “thrilled” with the re- blockchain to completely number is in a series, the Tools/Applnces,Boxes, Store #360 – 1655 S. Major Dr., Beaumont, TX 77707 sponse from fans, who bom- transform the digital collect- more it should fetch on the (409-860-9562), Larry Molo II, Hsld bard the Top Shot website ibles industry.” market. And if your owner- gds/Furn, Christopher Kattelman, Hsld gds/Furn, Barnett Chapel, every time new packs of Yes, he said “blockchain.” ship serial number happens Tools/Applnces, Off Furn/Mach/Equip, Barnett Chapel, Tools/Applnces, Store cards drop. Each TopShot card comes to match the jersey number #873 - 1501 N 7th St, Beaumont, TX So are some current and with a non-fungible token, or of the player featured? Ka- 77703 (409-833-1171), Anissa Carter, Hsld gds/Furn, Tv/Stereo Equip, Jacque- former NBAstars whojust in- NFT, that confirms an item’s ching. lyn Myrick, Hsld gds/Furn, Mario Cole- man, Hsld gds/Furn, Paul Paster, clothes, vested in Dapper, including ownership by recording the Dean Brostek, who runs a Natalie Richardson, Hsld gds/Furn, Michael Jordan. details on a decentralized sports consultancy and data Tv/Stereo Equip, Tools/Applnces, Off Furn/Mach/Equip, Lndscpng/Cnstrctn Each such pack drop in- digital ledger known as the intelligence business in Mel- Equip, Acctng Rcrds/Sales Sampls, jects thousands of new cards blockchain. NFTs can be bourne, Australia, considers Jewerly, Clothing, Shoes, Rodney McCoy, Hsld Gds/Furn, Kiara Roberts, Hsld into the market, offering used to trace an object’s digi- himself both a collector and gds/Furn, Kristin Starkey, Hsld gds/Furn. And, due notice having been given, to the buyers an affordable way to tal origin, allowing one to investor. The 43-year-old’s owner of said property and all parties add to their collections. The prove ownership. It also cre- interest in the NBA had known to claim an interest therein, and the time specified in such notice for pay- cheapest packs have three ates a somewhat artificial waned until his teenage son ment of such having expired, the goods will be sold to the highest bidder or other- “common” cards and cost scarcitythatcanjuice aprod- picked up basketball a few wise disposed of at a public auction to be $9. More expensive packs uct’s value. years ago. Then he read held online at www.StorageTreasures.co m which will end on Wednesday, April with more and rarer cards Aaron Perzanowski, a law about Top Shot and decided 28, 2021 at 10:00 AM. can cost almost $1,000. professor at Case Western to give it a whirl. Fans halfway around the Reserve University and co- After a few misses, some world are setting their author of the book “The End related to dealing with the18- alarms in the middle of the of Ownership,” said the NFT hour time difference in the night just to get in line for a craze is partly a response to wee hours, Brostek finally LEGAL NOTICE Notice is hereby given in chance to buy a pack. Videos consumers’ genuine desire got his pack, opened it with accordance with the of the flashy pack openings to reclaim a sense of owner- his kids and posted the video terms of the provisions of are logging tens of thousands ship in an increasingly digi- online. “It was really cool,” the Texas Alcoholic of views all over YouTube. tal, intangible economy. he said. “They’ve done a Beverage Code Even NBA players are getting “Granted, right now, that really nice job of creating a THAT: Shujaf Business in on the action. desire is expressing itself bit of theater.” LLC d/b/a Quick Fuel HAS FILED APPLICATION FOR A: Beer Retail Dealer’s scored at least 60 in an the Rockets’ rebuilding Off-Premise License and ROCKETS opening half. The Nets, plans, from the plan to let Wine Only Package Store From page B1 however, can score with him work at the point with Permit anyone. the Vipers to the move to SAID BUSINESS TO BE Blake Griffin drained con- The Nets did not get ship out Victor Oladipo to CONDUCTED AT: 3118 Edgar Brown Dr, Orange, secutive 3-pointer, the Nets much from the supporting open minutes for Porter. Orange County, TX 77630 led by 4 with 4½ minutes cast around their superstar After House got the Rock- OWNER: Salim N. remaining. backcourt, but Harden and ets off to their fast start, Dauwa, Manager Harris finished a drive to Irving combined for 35 scoring 9 points in the first Shoaib M. Ali, Manager make it a 12-0 Nets run be- points and 10 assists in the four minutes, Porter fin- Arif A. Rehman, Manager fore Kevin Porter Jr. missed first half, even to reduce a ished the half on a roll, scor- Aamir A. Momin, Manager acontested jumper, the Rockets lead that reached 18 ing 9 of his14 first-half points Rockets sixth-consecutive to 68-57 at halftime. in the final eight minutes be- missed shot. The Rockets, however, fore halftime while getting Rockets coach Stephen looked like a completely dif- four assists without a turn- Silas used a challenge time ferent team than the eight- over. out — winning the challenge player squad they had in the The Rockets also got a to reverse a foul called on first meeting with the Nets. combined 19 points in the Danuel House Jr.— to set up That was because they had half from centers Wood and alob from Porter to Chris- an almost completely differ- , two more tian Wood to a 4:15 scoring ent lineup. With players that were either out drought. It took Kyrie Irving out on Wednesday, the or elsewhere in the previous 10 seconds to answer with a Rockets had just two players meeting. layup. —Jae’Sean Tate and Sterling Yet, as transformed as the By then, the sharpshoot- Brown — who played in the Rockets had been, the Nets ing of the Rockets’ fast start previous game against the were not, offering a hint of was long gone, going from a Nets also playing on Wed- how difficult it would be to 6-of-8 start from the 3-point nesday. make that first half lead hold line to 7-of-32 the rest of the That previous game up and for the Rockets to way. against Brooklyn was the keep up down the stretch. The Rockets got off to a last before Porter and Mar- Jonathan Feigen reported sensational offensive start tin got the call-ups from the from . and put up 68 points in the GLeague, and Porter dem- first half, the fifth game in onstrated why he has be- [email protected] the past seven in which they come such a focal point to twitter.com/jonathan_feigen