Kayvon Thibodeaux to Release NFT Trading Card ahead of NFL Draft
Former Oregon star edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux, one of the top prospects heading into next month’s NFL Draft, unveiled his new trading card and silver round at The MINT Collective in Las Vegas over the weekend, an opportunity he hopes will showcase him as both “a business mogul and as a football player.”A recent article from Fox Business highlighted a conversation the outlet had with Thibodeaux about the draft prospect’s NFT trading card.
Below is an excerpt from the Fox Business article.
“eBay was the first company I did my first NIL deal with which first started off as an NFT and then I made it a collector‘s item … that was signed by me and Tinker Hatfield,” Thibodeaux said.
He landed his first name, image and likeness (NIL) deal over the summer, which was a nonfungible token (NFT) designed by Hatfield, a University of Oregon alum who is known for designing some of Nike’s most popular shoe models.
“Having that foundation and that base with the NIL kind of brought forth this MINT and trading card deal,” Thibodeaux said of his latest release, which was designed and illustrated by renowned artist Sophia Chang.
“It basically emphasizes me as a business mogul and as a football player and how I’ve been able to project myself in booth spaces, moving forward into my career.”
Thibodeaux told FOX Business that while he was never into trading cards growing up, he did have some notable sports memorabilia items, including a basketball signed by NBA players Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, and DeAndre Jordan.
Thibodeaux has earned a number of Pac-12 Conference and national accolades, including 2019 Defensive Freshman of the Year, and was awarded the Morris Trophy in 2020. He is anticipated to go in the first round of the NFL Draft, which takes place from April 28-30 in Las Vegas.
To read the full story from Fox Business, click here.
