NBA's verified Instagram, reportedly hacked, pushed 'NBA Coin ($NBA)' Pump.fun memecoin before apparent rug pull
The NBA's verified Instagram account, reportedly hacked, posted a promotion for a Solana memecoin called 'NBA Coin ($NBA)'. The post was deleted and the token's value collapsed in what observers called a rug pull.
- First reported
- Reports
- 1
Source: mundodeportivo.com · published
What happened
Mundo Deportivo reported on October 15, 2026 that the NBA's official, verified @nba Instagram account was used to promote a newly created Solana-based memecoin called 'NBA Coin ($NBA)'. The post described the token as a fusion of basketball and blockchain technology, urged followers to buy it, and included a Solana contract address associated with the Pump.fun platform. It featured the league's logo and relevant hashtags, and comments were disabled. The post was deleted shortly afterward and the account resumed normal basketball posts.
Multiple reports described the account as compromised; the NBA did not immediately issue a public statement. The NBA is the victim of the apparent account takeover, not the promoter of the token.
According to on-chain data cited in the report, the token had been launched the previous day. Its market capitalisation briefly rose to about $40,000 before liquidity was removed in what crypto observers described as a rug pull, and later settled near $3,500, a fall of more than 70 percent.
How the scam works
In this kind of scheme, someone who gains control of a famous account uses its reach and verified badge to advertise a token they created shortly beforehand. Followers who buy push the price up; the creator then removes the liquidity or sells, leaving buyers with tokens that are worth little.
Disabling comments, as happened here, stops followers from warning one another in the replies. The real organisation usually deletes the post once it regains control, but by then the money is gone.
Source
Mundo Deportivo, "NBA's official Instagram account hacked to promote memecoin in alleged crypto scam" (October 15, 2026).
Red flags
- A brand or league suddenly promoting a new crypto token.
- A post that includes a contract address and urges people to buy now.
- Comments turned off on a promotional post.
If you were targeted
- 1Don't buy tokens promoted by a brand's social account unless the brand confirms them on its official website.
- 2Treat any crypto promotion from a sports, celebrity or brand account as a possible account takeover.
- 3If you bought, keep transaction records and report it to the FBI at ic3.gov or your national cybercrime agency.