
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission announced on Friday that it had reached a settlement with former NBA superstar Paul Pierce related to his role touting EthereumMax crypto tokens without disclosing payments. Pierce agreed to pay $1.409 million.
The SEC, led by Gary Gensler, has aggressively pursued crypto-related enforcement actions, including targeting celebrities who promoted cryptocurrency projects during the sector’s historic bull run of 2021 and early 2022. In October 2023, the SEC reached a similar settlement with Kim Kardashian for her involvement with the same EthereumMax token.