NBA Instagram Reportedly Promotes Meme Coin in Suspected Hack

The National Basketball Association’s (NBA) official Instagram account briefly promoted a meme coin on Oct. 14 in an apparent account breach, journalist Jeff Benson reported. The post was subsequently deleted, and the league had not confirmed unauthorized access in the reporting available on Oct. 15.

Instagram Post Directs Followers to NBA Coin

The post encouraged followers to purchase a token called NBA Coin and included a contract address. Benson identified the address as belonging to a meme coin created through Pump.fun, a token-launch platform.

The promotion linked basketball fandom with cryptocurrency investing. Its appearance on the league’s official account did not establish that the NBA had authorized the token or endorsed purchases.

The NBA did not immediately respond to Benson’s request for comment. He reported that the token was created on Oct. 14 and had a market capitalization of approximately $3,500 that evening.

NBA Confirmed a Similar X Breach in March 2025

The Instagram incident follows a confirmed compromise of NBA accounts on X on March 4, 2025. A post falsely announced an NBA Coin on Solana, presenting it as a league-backed digital asset for fan engagement and transactions.

Journalist Daniel Roberts said NBA public relations representatives confirmed that official accounts had been hacked. The main account’s announcement disappeared after approximately five minutes, while accounts serving Spain and the United Kingdom also published the promotion.

Although both incidents used the NBA Coin name, the Instagram promotion reportedly displayed a different contract address. The repeated branding does not establish that the same token creators or account intruders were responsible.