ghostwrite Partners with NBA and WNBA for Collectible Toy Line

ghostwrite, a collectible toys brand founded by Josh Luber (co-founder of StockX and Fanatics Collectibles), has announced partnerships with the National Basketball Association (NBA), the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA), Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) and the Women’s National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA) to create a range of officially licensed collectible toy products. The new releases come on the heels of a historic season for women’s basketball.  

“We designed our toys - we call them ‘ghosts’ - to be vehicles for storytelling,” says Josh Luber, founder, chief executive officer, ghostwrite. “Ghosts tell stories, and when it comes to current culture, there is no greater source of indelible, iconic stories than the NBA and WNBA.” 

Luber draws from the sneaker and trading card industries to elevate collectibles into mainstream cultural significance. The collectibles aim to merge design innovation with scarcity-driven appeal.  

“We have a great relationship with Josh and believe in his entrepreneurial spirit and commitment to innovation across the collectibles business and culture more broadly,” says Matt Holt, head, consumer products, NBA and WNBA. “We look forward to seeing this partnership with ghostwrite come to life and bringing these coveted collectibles to NBA and WNBA fans around the world.”  

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The first collaboration, ghostwrite x WNBA, will launch a 2024 season Blind Box set, including 16 player figures alongside a "Famous Fan" figure of comedian Aubrey Plaza, who was a memorable presence at this year’s WNBA All-Star Game. Each 100% (2.75 inch) ghost will be sold as a “Blind Box,” where buyers won’t know which box contains which player. In addition, there will be a number of randomly inserted “player parallels” - like the hyper-limited Gold /10 and Fire 1/1 - for collectors to chase. 

The set also features storytelling content by basketball journalists Shea Serrano and Kirk Goldsberry, packaged as part of the collectible experience. 

“Magic exists in that space where reality outpaces anticipation, where something arrives into existence in an even more profound manner than the way you’d imagined it would,” says Serrano. “That’s the WNBA’s 2024 season. And that’s the inaugural set of ghostwrite. Or, put plainly: This is the coolest possible product for the coolest possible product.” 

In October, ghostwrite released its first ghostwrite x NBA figure—a collectible inspired by the league’s official game ball. Limited to 60 pieces, the figure debuted via ghostwrite’s Blind Dutch Auction platform. More collaborative releases with the NBA and NBPA, including a Blind Box product, will be released next year.  

Future releases with both leagues are planned over the coming months.