The NBA’s official Instagram account just got hacked, pushing a scam cryptocurrency memecoin to its millions of followers. This isn’t some tiny side account, folks, this is the league’s main feed, briefly displaying a post that screamed, “Where basketball passion meets blockchain innovation. Join the community and explore $NBA today. BUY NOW!” Seriously, this isn’t a good look for the league.
Another Day, Another Dodgy Digital ‘Asset’
The now-deleted post included a contract address for a memecoin that was literally created on Pump.fun, a platform designed for anyone to launch their own tokens. It’s not exactly Wall Street, you know? While the NBA didn’t immediately respond for comment, the post didn’t last long, and thankfully, it didn’t seem to trick too many people. The token, which just popped up on Wednesday, only had a market cap of about $3,500 by Wednesday evening. That’s pocket change in the crypto world, but the fact that it got on an official league account is wild.
Are We Really Doing This Again?
Here’s the kicker: this isn’t the first time. The league’s social media accounts were hacked before for the exact same reason, promoting a different “NBA Coin.” Back in March of last year, the NBA actually confirmed hackers were behind a similar Twitter post. That one read, “The NBA is taking the game to the next level. Introducing $NBA Coin,our official digital asset on Solana, designed to enhance fan engagement and the future of sports transactions.” Sound familiar? It ended with a different token contract address and was pulled about five minutes later. And it wasn’t just the main account, either; official NBA feeds from Spain, the UK, and other places also tweeted it out. Even NASCAR’s official X account got hit during that March 2025 incident. You’d think after that first rodeo, security would be tighter than a playoff game in a deciding Game 7, right?
The league’s brand is its biggest asset, and seeing its official channels compromised, especially repeatedly, is a major fumble. You gotta wonder how many times this can happen before fans start asking some serious questions about the league’s digital defenses. This can’t keep happening.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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