NBA Top Shot seems to be the only thing that basketball fans are talking about right now, as the digital collectables are rapidly becoming the most highly in-demand thing in the world of hoops that we’ve seen since Giannis Antetokounmpo before he signed his supermax with the Milwaukee Bucks.
With this demand comes an unfortunate reality of internet commerce, but the folks behind the entire project are doing what they can to keep that being too much of a hassle. That has meant, unfortunately, that the company delayed a rare pack drop on Thursday after what it described as “botting activity.”
Top Shot had a originally planned pack drop for Thursday afternoon at noon ET. After some log-in issues popped up for users, an announcement came out that the drop would be pushed back a few hours.
We are aware of log-in issues and are working to resolve them ASAP. We are investigating and will the delay the drop if necessary to ensure collectors have a chance to join.
— NBA Top Shot (@nba_topshot) February 25, 2021
UPDATE
Please take note of the new time as our Premium Packs will drop at 12pm PT
Thank you for your patience and understanding. https://t.co/io3IGD2RMs
— NBA Top Shot (@nba_topshot) February 25, 2021
And then, the single-biggest issue in purchasing collectable things on the internet became a headache: bots. In an attempt to keep this from becoming an issue, Top Shot announced that this pack drop would be postponed indefinitely, citing “botting activity on the platform.”
NBA Top Shot Community
We are postponing the Premium Pack drop indefinitely & we will keep you updated with an announcement. We are troubleshooting issues & working to make this the best experience & as fair as possible for all collectors. Thank you for your understanding. pic.twitter.com/jpvch8zHPl
— NBA Top Shot (@nba_topshot) February 25, 2021
We have seen issues with botting activity on the platform over the last 60 minutes & we want to be responsible about this drop knowing how many collectors are excited for this Premium Pack drop. https://t.co/D963XmIntF
— NBA Top Shot (@nba_topshot) February 25, 2021
Dapper’s founder also addressed the delay on Twitter, noting that for many users it would be their first “rare” drop and the company wanted to make sure its release was fair.
every decision has tradeoffs, and we’ll always prioritize real fans – i am sorry for the delayed drop today i know 100k+ of you were super excited, but for many this will be their first rare pack drop in @nba_topshot – we didn’t want a super fast but unfair sellout https://t.co/6npaHKbd92
— Roham (@rohamg) February 25, 2021
According to the Top Shot Discord, the company doesn’t plan to try the drop until at least “business hours” on Friday, so collectors won’t have to lose sleep over potentially missing it if problems get fixed. The company hasn’t had a major pack drop since February 15, instead opting for the occasional “stress test” that usually sees 5,000 packs sold with nearly 100,000 people waiting in queues to buy them. The product, which is still in Beta, is constantly getting tweaked in real time, even as its user base has soared in recent weeks and flooded its marketplace with activity.
As anyone who has, say, used the SNKRS app or tried to purchase an Xbox Series X knows, bots that gobble up merch can end up being a disaster that excludes folks from getting in on these sorts of drops. Trying to get out ahead of bots overwhelming the platform is an admirable intention, but those who use bots are awfully good at building them in such a way that they can skirt any sort of regulatory framework a place puts into effect, so now that this first step is being taken, Top Shot will have to continue to stay out in front of botting for as long as it’s in the hoops zeitgeist.