The “Trump Trade” has taken over the cryptocurrency world, as prices soar to a new high! Bitcoin, the most popular digital currency, has passed $88,000 for the first time since its inception. Experts cite various reasons for the sudden peak, but the common trend is that Wall Street continues to rally after Donald Trump’s presidential victory, according to the NY Times. Now that we know about the rising trend in the digital currency market, let’s look at some of the NBA players who ideally would want to cash in on this trend.

Around the late 2010s, the digital currency came in for public display. While everyone was skeptical about their chances with the new-age investment alternative, some of our popular hoopsters confidently endorsed the same. Some even brought in innovative strategies to expand their wealth.

In fact, there was an FTX commercial that broke the internet in 2022, which included Stephen Curry eating cereal, making pasta, and carving an ice structure, goofily, while Shaq insisted that the Splash Bro knew everything about crypto. But Curry immediately denied what Big Diesel said, adding, “I’m not an expert and I don’t need to be,” while holding up his phone with the FTX app open.

Well, this was a television commercial that you remember, so, without further ado, let’s get right into the list of hoopsters who endorsed digital currency.

1. Spencer Dinwiddie

The Dallas Mavericks guard can even be called the pioneer in the blockchain market among NBA players just for his innovation. Spencer Dinwiddie made fans more invested in ‘a player’ than any other hoopster in the league. In late 2019, the guard made headlines when he decided to tokenize his $34 million 3-year contract with the Brooklyn Nets and allow the public to invest in it. Although the NBA opposed it in the beginning, after the long battle with Dinwiddie’s legal team, they allowed him to engage with the digital tokens.

So, it’s basically like treasury or corporate bonds where a person invests in Spencer Dinwiddie’s contract and receives their principal back in portions on a monthly basis along with interests. Meanwhile, the guard would receive the investor’s fund upfront.

Speaking of this, the hoopster had said it’s an opportunity to give “qualified investors” a chance to invest “in the first-ever security represented by a Professional Athlete Investment Token (PAInT).” Notably, in 2019, the minimum amount that was allowed to be invested was $150,000 and these funds should be paid in cryptocurrency. We wonder what the value of the digital token is right now!

2. Kevin Durant

In the lineup of star players who predicted the rise of the alternate currency, Kevin Durant also finds a place. In fact, the Phoenix Suns forward came into the business much earlier than anyone else. Back in 2017, which was still pretty early for people to invest millions in a currency without any physical state, KD along with his business partner, Rich Kleiman, invested in Coinbase, a crypto platform.

Technically, Kevin Durant didn’t invest in the blockchain directly, as per the information available on the internet, but his company Boardroom invested in a company that would facilitate the buying and selling of the e-coin. Speaking of his decision, the superstar said, “Being an early investor in a company you’re excited about is always an amazing feeling… Being able to come back a few years later and create an even more in-depth partnership is rare, and we’re fortunate to be building further with Coinbase.” It’s quite mind-blowing to wrap our heads and imagine the valuation of a company which was $86 billion in 2021!

3. Cade Cunningham

The Pistons‘ gifted guard Cade Cunningham came into the league in 2021 and the first thing he did was receive his joining bonus in Bitcoin. The then-rookie didn’t stop at that. He tried to create awareness among the public regarding the benefits of cryptocurrency. In a statement after the hoopster signed the deal, Cunningham said, “Many hardworking people still don’t have access to cost-efficient, reliable options to save and invest… their ease of use, democratic and consensus underpinnings, and ability to evolve over time.” 

However, he came under public scrutiny in 2022 when the crypto market became volatile. Notably, FTX filed bankruptcy and Crypto.com laid off nearly half of their employees. However, two years later, the situation has taken a turn as the value of the digital currency is now at an all-time high.

4. Klay Thompson and Andre Iguodala

Here we have mentioned two former Golden State Warriors players in one go because they made a decision together. Back in 2022, the same year when Klay returned to the NBA floor after two seasons, both dubs stars signed a deal to receive a part of their salary in Bitcoin. While making it public, China Klay took to X, and wrote, “I’m with Bitcoin because I believe it’s the future of money.” 

On the other hand, Andre Iguodala wrote, “I’m taking part of my salary in BITCOIN w. Cash App! Bitcoin is the future, Klay Thompson and I are both believers.” There isn’t any clarity on the value of Bitcoin when they bought it, and if they still hold it, it’s worth $88,000 per dime.

5. Tyrese Haliburton

The Indiana Pacers‘ rising star is another NBA name who strongly endorsed the digital currency. He even revealed his plans to receive his salary in Bitcoin, a few months ago. We aren’t sure whether he executed his plan. He’s in the first year of his whooping 5-year deal worth $244 million.

Speaking in an interview with CoinDesk, Tyrese Haliburton said, “In the NBA, the presence of crypto is definitely growing, especially with the partnership now between Coinbase and the NBA, just the brand being there I think that’s caused more conversations to come about as of late… It’s not just the players. It’s coaches, security staff, it’s talked out throughout everybody.” 

So, this statement is proof that it’s not just the players mentioned above who’ve associated themselves with crypto, but many others, including coaches and staff. What do you make of the NBA’s involvement in digital currency, let us know in the comments below.