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Naomi Osaka NFT Auction to Benefit Mental Health InitiativeDespite her exit from the Olympics, Naomi Osaka has certainly left an imprint on the world over the last few months.
Osaka has been an advocate for mental health support for athletes, and now proceeds from the auction of a non-fungible token (NFT) Osaka created will aid an initiative launched by non-profit organization, Athletes for Hope. “Now more than ever, athletes are struggling with their mental health. With 1-in-5 people being diagnosed with a mental illness, it’s become the number one requested cause from our athlete network for advocacy, connection and support,” said Athletes for Hope COO, Jason Belinkie. “We are honored to be able to continue this vital work in the mental health space via the funds this NFT will generate.” Some experts in the digital art space believe the Osaka auction could break a record for an NFT sale by a professional athlete. The current record was set last week when Tyson Fury sold a single-edition piece for $987,000. "This is an extremely unique piece, and the story behind it brings a lot of value to the future of sports collecting through NFTs," Shea Newkirk, Founder of CryptoStache.com, said. "While there have been some monstrous NFT sales by professional athletes over the last six months, Naomi Osaka's persistent and positive presence in the public eye will probably push this auction to a new NFT record." Osaka and her sister, Mari Osaka, dropped a six-piece collection of 1-of-1 NFTs in early April. The first five NFTs collectively sold for nearly $600,000, with one piece bringing in more than $200,000. The sixth and final Osaka NFT was offered in a public raffle. Now, the raffle’s winner has put the artwork up for sale through a global auction, and a portion of the net proceeds will go directly to Athletes for Hope's recently-launched initiative, Whole Being Athlete, which will support athletes and raise awareness about mental health. The digital artwork being auctioned is titled “Finding What Was Lost,” and Osaka’s sister told HYPEBEAST.com that this edition was Naomi’s favorite of the six. The NFT description, written by Mari, reads: “While she may occasionally lose her way, Naomi always manages to find herself back on the path she has been searching for.” Osaka’s NFTs were created on the environmentally-conscious Flow blockchain, which is the same blockchain that produces NBA Top Shot’s non-fungible tokens. Interested parties can place a bid on the NFT at auction house Basic.Space. You can view the full press release here: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/naomi-osaka-nft-resale-auction-to-benefit-mental-health-initiative-for-athletes-301339761.html |
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