The Panini "Exclusive" Era (2009-2016)
In the 2009-10 season, Panini secured exclusive rights to produce NBA trading cards. This era includes cards from his later career, second set of championship wins (2009 and 2010), and his eventual retirement.
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Panini announced they had signed an exclusive multi-year deal with Kobe Bryant, and in 2009-10 it was the last year that collectors can find any Topps or Upper Deck products that feature NBA jerseys. The ’09 Panini Update All-Star Patches featured a short list of players including Kobe, Nowitzki, Bosh, LeBron, and Dwyane Wade.
A mammoth crowd of 108,713 gathered in Arlington, Texas on February 14th, not only smashing the previous attendance mark for the All-Star Game (44,735), but also making it the most-attended basketball game in history. Kobe still was able to get the most All-Star votes, and would lead the team to championships in 2009 and 2010, and was named NBA Finals MVP both times. He averaged 27.0 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5.0 assists in 73 games in 2009-10. He was selected to play in his twelfth All-Star games. He won his second Finals MVP award and his fifth NBA championship too.
For 2015, Kobe Bryant average 17.6 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 66 games. He was also selected to play in his eighteenth All-Star game.
Once the ultimate option in the collecting world, 2015-16 Panini National Treasures Basketball is another one of many high-end hobby options. Nevertheless, NT still carries plenty of clout with collectors and offers the top rookie cards of the year. Each hobby box included eight total hits. The NBA Material set checklist only included 50 players.
After a seven-year absence, the 2016-17 Panini Studio basketball set marks the return of one of the most iconic trading card brands of the 1990’s. The 300-base set poses a challenge to even the most advanced of collectors. Split into three tiers, the action starts with 100 cards that feature game action photography. The next subset, seen here, is the Studio Edition and the design is quite reminiscent of what the set looked like 20 years ago. Cards 201-300 include sketch-art photography.
Illustrated on card #75 is the base version of the card featuring Kobe Bryant. The shooting guard would spend his entire career with the Los Angeles Lakers. Regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, Bryant won five NBA championships, and was an 18-time All-Star, a 15-time member of the All-NBA Team, a 12-time member of the All-Defensive Team, the 2008 NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP), and a two-time NBA Finals MVP. Bryant also led the NBA in scoring twice, and ranks fourth on the league's all-time regular season scoring and all-time postseason scoring lists.
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