Exclusive Kobe photos auctioned off as NFTs for charity

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Exclusive Kobe Bryant photos auctioned off as NFTs, proceeds go to charity

By Chelena Goldman | Last updated Aug 24, 2021 4:13 PM ET

A blockchain company has released a series of never-before-seen photos of Kobe Bryant as NFTs, ESPN reported on Tuesday.

Cryptograph, a collectibles company that specializes in digital currency, unveiled the eight-photo series entitled "KOBE" which features Bryant doing a black-and-white photoshoot in 1999 that was never released to the public.

"This shoot is special because you don't see him in a jersey," Cryptograph co-founder Tommy Alastra told ESPN. "He's Kobe Bean Bryant. You can see the father, the son, the husband come out. It's just him, raw, in everyday Kobe. It's special. ... They're really quite beautiful."

Cryptograph releases exclusive photos of @kobebryant as #NFTs to celebrate Kobe Bryant Day, August 24th.

Photography: Davis Factor pic.twitter.com/qTKsDjyMUZ
— David Skilling | NFT (@MrDavidSkilling) August 24, 2021

All proceeds from sales go to the Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation, which was updated in 2020 in memory of Bryant and his daughter Gianna.

"We are a for-profit company, but we make sure that every Cryptograph is anchored in philanthropy," Alastra said. "So we have assured that a charitable organization gets a percentage of revenues at the partnership level."

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