Black Santa is coming to Crypto.com NFT on a sleigh driven by two-time NBA All-Star and entrepreneur Baron Davis.
Baron Davis is known for handling business on and off the court. A former point guard for the Hornets, the Golden State Warriors, the Los Angeles Clippers, the Cleveland Cavaliers and the New York Knicks, Davis is also an astute investor and the founder of Baron Davis Enterprises — home to a portfolio of companies that combine creative talent with original publication and production to develop empowering stories for global audiences of all ages. One of those companies, UWish, creates multimedia content featuring a cast of characters that represent a modern multicultural landscape — including Black Santa.
The lead character from the UWish universe, Black Santa champions diversity in storytelling and provides ongoing philanthropic support for various causes and organizations — with inspiring mantras including “bless someone” and “giving has no season.” The latter serves as the namesake for Black Santa’s first NFT collection — dropping at Crypto.com/NFT on Dec. 17 — from which Davis will donate a portion of primary NFT sales to organizations that focus on financial literacy and the empowerment of underserved communities.
“My vision for Black Santa was to give children a magical world of untold possibilities filled with enchantment, adventure and positive characters of color while imparting the importance of giving year-round,” said Davis. “NFTs offer a modern technology-driven platform for expanded Black Santa experiences for collectors and fans. With Crypto.com NFT, the Black Santa collectibles are not just possible — they truly capture the integrity and soul of the character.”
Giving Has No Season
Black Santa was created by Davis, who was inspired by the reaction he received after dressing up as Santa one Halloween. Since its foundation in 2016, The Black Santa Company has hosted numerous charity events including celebrity basketball tournaments with past guests Matt Barnes, Metta World Peace, Ice Cube, Omarion, Tyga and Famous Los, among others. This year, Black Santa is producing a month-long Winter Wonderland activation with plans for a charitable basketball game featuring influencers, celebrities and athletes as well as a launch party for the NFT drop, a tree lighting ceremony, a block party and a karaoke night with recording artists Jordin Sparks and Angie Stone.
Black Santa also offers high quality products — from clothing and Christmas ornaments to media including books and even an original album, “The Black Santa Winter Wonderland Mixtape.” Most recently, the company published a storybook titled “Black Santa & CeCe Save Christmas” by Davis and acclaimed children’s author Jesse Byrd, with illustrations by Shelley Johnson and Lau Moraiti.
“What Baron is doing with this project is important and we are very excited to help usher Black Santa into the NFT space,” said Crypto.com Executive Vice President and Global Head of NFT Joe Conyers III. “Not only have they created a dynamic multimedia universe with so many great characters, they’ve done so thoughtfully and with the greatest of care — in support of such an empowering organization.”
The South Pole
There are many characters in the Black Santa universe, who reside with him in the South Pole and will also be featured in the NFT collection — including Mrs. C, an entrepreneur and STEM whiz to whom he is married. Others included in the drop will be the South Pole’s resident advisor Professor Penguin, Black Santa’s accountant Chilly the Polar Bear as well as mischievous holiday haters Fire and Ice. The ambitious collection will feature NFTs of varying rarities, formats and themes — with some very exciting surprises, to be announced by the Black Santa team on the “Giving Has No Season” drop page when the sale commences. Previews of a select few collectibles from the drop are featured below, along with descriptions of the depicted characters.
Preview select pieces from the “Black Santa: Giving Has No Season” collection below and visit the drop page for more information.
Black Santa
Nicholas Nicholson, aka Black Santa, is the hero character of UWish and the patron saint of the modern holiday season. He works all year to help those who need his blessings the most. Black Santa believes that “giving has no season” and that every day presents an opportunity to “bless someone.” He was trained as a traditional Santa, but decided to follow a different path. After graduating from the North Pole’s special academy for unique individuals, known as The Workshop, Black Santa ultimately found their approach to giving to be too corporate-minded and restrictive. His primary distinction from other Santas is that he prefers to be among the people and feels that giving should be a year-round tradition, rather than confined to one season, and seeks to serve underprivileged communities that are often overlooked. He has a high-tech facility in the SouthPole — the Black Santa Compound — that serves as his base of operations as he works alongside his wife, Mrs. C, to fulfill his mission to “bless someone” all over the world. Black Santa loves cinnamon buns, music and sports — especially basketball!
Mrs. C
Cecilia Lee Nicholson — otherwise known as Mrs. C — is an entrepreneur, STEM whiz and advocate for health, wellness and justice. As Black Santa’s wife and partner, her mission — aside from handling the Compound’s business affairs — is to spread love around the world. She was born on Valentine’s Day and owns her own company that is devoted to the concepts of love and empowerment. Mrs. C is the most important person in Black Santa’s life, his rock and his reason for striving to make the world a more loving and giving place. Mrs. C lost her father due to illness, so she relates to others who might have lost a parent. This is one of the main drivers behind her message of self-care and self-love. She is a brilliant and proud HBCU graduate who continues to promote education and create access to opportunities, especially for women, girls and underrepresented populations in STEM.
Professor Penguin
Professor Penguin lives to learn and finds joy in passing on knowledge through teaching, especially youngsters. He’d rather be locked up in a library than out belly sliding down icebergs, any day! There is very little that Professor Penguin doesn’t know; he is the go-to guy for any question that needs answering or problem that needs solving in the South Pole.
Fire and Ice
The baddest of the holiday haters, Fire and Ice despise Christmas cheer! Ice is in charge — cool and collected — while Fire is the enforcer, with a temper that sparks in a flash! They live to destroy all the good will and blessings Black Santa and his friends work to spread around the world.
Chilly the Polar Bear
The wonderland’s accountant and resident workaholic, Chilly is a mathematical genius with a pleasant disposition — and a cool, laid-back rap flow reminiscent of Biggie’s — but lie on your tax return and that huge smile will turn into a roar!
Browse the “Black Santa: Giving Has No Seasion” collection by Baron Davis.
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Editor’s Note (Sept. 1, 2022): an earlier version of this article was originally published on the Crypto.com NFT Medium blog on Dec. 10, 2021 and has since been edited and/or updated to republish.
