Ronaldo Releases NFT Collection: Here're Athletes Who Have Made or Lost The Most from Buying NFTs

• Odell Beckham Jr spent £1.83 million on his Crypto Punk  

• Shaquille O’Neal spent the least on his Mutant Ape Yacht Club NFT 

• Tom Brady lost over £200,000 and set to lose more with the bankruptcy of FTX. 

New research shows that Odell Beckham Jr is the star athlete who has lost the most money since investing in NFTs after the value of his Crypto Punk NFT dropped by 50%.

Following the announcement by Cristiano Ronaldo that he will be launching his own collection of NFTs in partnership with Binance, odds comparison experts Sidelines.io decided to look at the sporting celebrities who have bought NFTs and how much they have made or lost since purchasing.

NFTs are bought using Ethereum (ETH) and the value of ETH fluctuates, with the price peaking at $4,644 (£3,935) in November 2021, which would have been the perfect time to sell since the price currently sits at $1,219 (£1,032). The study calculated how much the NFT would be worth if sold for the same amount of ETH it was bought for.

Odell Beckham Jr – £1.83 million

Odell Beckham bought Crypto Punk #3365, a pixelated avatar of the 2014 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, in August 2021 to celebrate his Super Bowl win, paying 888 ETH which is £1.83 million, the value now dropping to £774,505, a heavy 50% loss. Since his purchase, Beckham announced that he also wanted his $750,000 salary (£635,535) in Bitcoin. Based on the price of Bitcoin, the salary value would have plummeted to $413,000 (£349,967).

Lost: £1,063,780

Neymar Jr – £491,480

Neymar is one of the biggest names in soccer, and the Brazilian international bought Bored Ape #5269, a red ape wearing a multi-coloured t-shirt shooting lasers from its eyes, in January this year joining the list of star athletes who have ventured into the crypto world. He paid £491,480, however with the recent crash the value of the NFT is now $203,244

Lost: £288,235

Tom Brady – £364,373

Tom Brady has been an avid supporter of crypto adoption, while also being a brand ambassador for the recently collapsed FTX exchange, which could cost him millions due to his involvement. To make matters worse his Bored Ape #3667 which he paid £364,373 for in April 2022 would only be worth £138,334 based on current price action, a loss of 60%.

Lost: £203,244 

Ben Simmons – £214,754

Brooklyn Nets point guard Ben Simmons got heavily into the crypto sphere this year joining the crypto gaming league PerionDAO as a strategic advisor and ambassador, meanwhile buying multiple NFTs, including Bored Ape #5164, which depicts a brown ape with a yellow hat, this was his first NFT. However, since its purchase, the value has dropped by 50% based on the price of ETH going from being worth £214,754 to £107,557.

Lost: £107,196

Steph Curry – £151,096

Clearly, word is getting round the NBA as Golden State point guard Steph Curry also entered the crypto market purchasing Bored Ape #7990. Much like Simmons, Curry has also made losses of over 50% with his Ape being worth £58,958 if it were sold now for 55 ETH (How much Curry bought it for).

Lost: £92,138 

Serena Williams- £149,986

Serena Williams is one of the all-time tennis greats and owner of Crypto Punk #2950, which is a pixelated image of a woman with a white and blue headband. Bought for £149,986 the current value sits at £91,117, a loss of 39% which is on the smaller side of this list, although with a net worth of over £200 million it’s unlikely Williams will miss the money.

Lost: £58,896 

Shaquille O’Neal – £11,892

Shaquille O’Neal bought Mutant Ape #14452 in September 2022, but his emergence onto the blockchain didn’t just stop there though. Since he aped into Bored Ape Yacht Club NFTs he has raised £1.5 million?for his charitable foundation through the sale of his unique NFT collection. With a net worth of over £300 million.

Lost: £6,747

A spokesperson from Sidelines.io commented: “Crypto and blockchain technology is quickly integrating into society, and celebrities are adopting it as a way to branch out their brand and in some cases such as Shaquille O’Neal do good for others. The crypto markets have suffered greatly over the past 6 months, and many exchanges, projects and investors have endured huge losses. Seeing celebrities being used as PR tools by these platforms could be detrimental to many new investors as they may not understand the risks involved. Although for the industry to succeed crypto adoption does need to become more mainstream, which these projects help to do. It’s important to remember to invest carefully and do your research before buying NFTs or cryptocurrencies.” 

The study was conducted by Sidelines.io, which offers odds comparison, analysis, and tools to help users make data-driven decisions that get the best value on their sports bets.