As NBA Top Shot continues to blow up, funding, unsurprisingly, is coming in. The latest infusion of cash for its parent company Dapper Labs comes via a round of private funding, according to the Associated Press. Among those putting their money behind the project, which has exploded in popularity in recent months since public beta testing started up in October, is Michael Jordan.
“We want to bring the same magic to other sports leagues as well as help other entertainment studios and independent creators find their own approaches in exploring open platforms,” Dapper Labs CEO Roham Gharegozlou told the AP after the company raised $305 million.
Dapper Labs, per the AP, has received funding from NBA players like Spencer Dinwiddie, Kevin Durant, Kyle Lowry, and Klay Thompson, although it is unclear if they were among those who contributed to the recent $305 million that came in. What makes Jordan so interesting is that Top Shot releases have largely been related to more recent moments, and in a piece by Brian Windhorst of ESPN, it was made clear that the company would like to get more historical Top Shots in the mix.
The company has also already started talks with retired NBA players to secure rights to historic highlights. There has already been one series of these created, called Run It Back, released. The idea of classic Michael Jordan Moments, like “The Shot,” for example, being released in limited supply could set records.
Jordan is famously reserved about giving up his name, image, and likeness for things — the footage that made The Last Dance sat in a vault for nearly two decades before he signed off on things in 2016 — and it’s worth mentioning that even though he invested in Dapper Labs, this does not necessarily mean we’re getting Jordan Top Shots any time soon.
Warner Music Group is a partner in Dapper Labs. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.