Upon retiring, Lisa Leslie sought new ways to move the needle in women’s basketball.
The WNBA superstar and hall of famer said goodbye to the game after her 2009 season, as reported by ESPN. Recently, Leslie discussed her involvement in another industry since the big decision.
During the South by Southwest (SXSW) 2024 Conference, Leslie stated that she started developing an interest in the digital space shortly after her retirement. This new passion prompted her to become an investor in LootMogul, a company enhancing relationships among fans, athletes, teams, and brands through the sports metaverse, its LinkedIn page mentions.
“Once I retired, you saw where everything just started to shift, whether it was the NFTs or just different ways to engage,” Leslie said during SXSW 2024. “So, I became an investor in LootMogul, which is one of the digital platforms that also can help with fan engagement and how they see it and giving fans the in-arena opportunity in a stadium or if they’re at home watching virtually. There’s ways that you can participate where you can win prizes, and it becomes very tangible communicating with other corporations that wanna participate and create fan engagement as well.”
According to a news release, Leslie became a brand ambassador and business partner with LootMogul in 2022.
“We are pleased to form a strategic venture partnership with Lisa Leslie, a sports legend, highly intellectual, and a charismatic leader that truly cares about the people and wants to provide a platform that can generate generational wealth for athletes, fans, and brands using blockchain/NFTs,” Founder and CEO Raj Rajkotia shared in a statement at the time. “We are humbled and honored to have Lisa as our partner and build this metaverse together for all.”
Per the company’s website, LootMogul’s technology plans include launching metaverse stadiums, engaging ambassadors, creating mini-games on the blockchain, and offering AI-powered Web3 e-commerce storefronts.
Furthermore, the platform prioritizes fans’ digital experience and provides innovative ways for them to interact with some of their favorite athletes in real time at the stadium. Its website states that LootMogul has turned stadiums into “S.M.A.R.T. arenas” and has included touchpoints.
With various ways to take part in the experience when using LootMogul, Leslie believes that the company is leading the charge with its engagement goals.
“You can find ways to win, hopefully, a one-on-one or an opportunity to even meet one of those athletes or get their jersey,” Leslie explained during SXSW 2024. “So LootMogul’s doing an amazing job in that digital space.”
While the platform is bridging the gap between fans and athletes, it is also helping to highlight women’s sports and women athletes.
“We can talk about numbers, but the women’s game… we’re getting our opportunities, and we are outshining the men right now, especially in college sports,” Leslie said. “So it’s just an amazing opportunity to be a part of it, I think, from the investor side. And I just can’t wait to continue to see where the future goes with digital and the fans just coming together and being able to grow with the sports.”
