The official Instagram account of the NBA was reportedly compromised on October 14, 2026. Attackers used the profile to promote a meme coin named NBA Coin, claiming it was an official product of the league. The post included a contract address for a token launched on the Pump.fun platform. Although the league has not officially confirmed the security breach, the post was removed shortly after publication.
Data indicates that the token, created on October 14, reached a market capitalization of approximately $3,500 by the evening. Before its deletion, the promotional post gathered 3,592 likes and 500 comments. This incident marks the second reported attempt to use the NBA brand for such schemes, following a similar event in March 2025 involving the league's X account and a different token on the Solana blockchain.
Corporate and public accounts have faced frequent security incidents throughout 2026. Microsoft, The Pokémon Company, and Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev have all reported unauthorized access to their social media profiles this year. In each case, attackers utilized the compromised accounts to promote various cryptocurrency projects or impersonate official entities. The NBA has not yet provided a comment regarding the Instagram breach.
