The 2006-07 Finest Basketball set offered a 130-card base set. The first 50 cards feature veteran stars, while the remaining cards are dedicated to rookies. Numbers 51-100 are standard rookies, while #101-#130 are extended exchange rookie cards that are each numbered to 539. Several insert sets were issued with this product and base cards have 13 different parallels. Time has shown Kevin Durant to be the top rookie in the set.
However, this black refractor is of legendary point guard Steve Nash. He was named MVP, again, in the 2005-06 season and was runner-up for a third consecutive MVP to Nowitzki in 2006-07. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest point guards of all time. Nash led the league in assists and free throw percentage at various points in his career. He is also ranked as one of the top players in NBA league history in three-point shooting, free throw shooting, total assists, and assists per game. In 2018 he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
2004 SP Authentic is a 191-card set released in June, 2004. The base set features 101 serial-numbered base cards. Despite the sheer volume of SP’ed rookie cards (56 Future Watch "rookies", all serial-numbered to 999 copies) -- or perhaps because of it -- there are no prominent rookie cards in the set. Dwight Howard chose to forgo college, and enter the 2004 NBA draft being selected first overall by the Orlando Magic. Howard set numerous franchise and league records with the Magic. He led the team to the 2009 NBA Finals.
He was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers, with whom he spent three separate one-year-stints over the course of his career, but won the NBA Finals in 2020. Howard would become an NBA Champion, eight-time All-Star, eight-time All-NBA Team honoree, five-time All-Defensive Team member, and three-time Defensive Player of the Year. He has been regarded as one of the greatest defensive players of all time.
2019-20 Panini Select Basketball is one of the more colorful sets for the sport. Between its base cards, autographs and other inserts, Prizms come into play. They total 12 per hobby box, which averages out to one per pack. Emphasizing hits a little more than some other chromium releases, there are three autographs or memorabilia cards in a hobby box as well.
Curry was expected to take on a greater offensive load in the 2019-20 season with Thompson out injured and Kevin Durant having left the Warriors as a free agent. In Game 3 of the 2019 Finals, Curry scored a playoff career-high 47 points to go with eight rebounds and seven assists against the Toronota Raptors.
Crown Royale has its’ roots from its days as a Pacific Trading Cards brand in the ’90s where it was one of the more distinct brands in the hobby. The standalone Crown Royale NBA brand was resurrected with 2017-18 Panini Crown Royale basketball set. The product maintains its’ legacy of regal looks and die-cut designs. Last appearing as a full set in 2009-10, the '17-18 Hobby boxes averaged one autograph and one relic. Signatures come hard-signed direct on the card. For parallels, it meant big patches and logos and tags for the scarcest versions.
A point guard, Ball played college basketball for one season with the UCLA Bruins, earning consensus first-team All-American honors before the Lakers selected him with the second overall pick of the 2017 NBA draft.
2019-20 Panini One and One Basketball puts a bit of a different spin on the One line that’s had a couple of football releases. Autographs are a major focus with one in every two-card box. However, unlike football, they’re not the only thing. Boxes here have an additional base card, parallel or insert. Hence the “and One.” With one card being signed, the second card is a non-hit. This included base cards and parallels for star veterans and rookies. The Rookie Autographs set checklist was limited to only 20 cards which were serial numbered #/99.
In high school, Bol was considered one of the best players in the class of 2018, having been rated a consensus five-star recruit and earning McDonald’s All-American honors. A center listed at 7 feet 3 inches, he is one of the tallest players in the NBA. He was drafted with the 44th pick in the 2019 NBA draft by the Miami Heat, but was traded to the Denver Nuggets on draft day.
The official rookie cards for Gasol were released in 2001-02 products and the majority of the 30+ cards are found for budget prices. 2001-02 Topps Chrome is also a popular option, and this example is hand-signed. Like most big men in the league, Pau Gasol is largely unappreciated by collectors. Pau Gasol was drafted third overall in the 2001 NBA Draft by the Atlanta Hawks. The Hawks traded his rights to the Memphis Grizzlies and that is where Gasol spent his first years in the NBA. The 2001-02 Rookie of the Year Award and one All-Star appearance gave Gasol some recognition, but it was not until a trade to the Lakers that he made the leap to stardom. The trade is also notable because it included Marc Gasol, Pau's brother, going from LA to Memphis.
Pau Gasol had a great run in Los Angeles, earning three All-Star nods and teaming up with Kobe Bryant to win two NBA titles. Although he was one of the most dominant big men in the league during this time, the Lakers quickly unraveled and Gasol was rumored to be on trading block for some time. This ultimately never occurred and he signed as a free agent with the Chicago Bulls, where he earned another All-Star selection in his first season and has the Bulls primed for a deep playoff run.
Continuing to tap into their NCAA license, 2015 Panini National Treasures College Multi-Sport carries the tradition of the high-end release into a product that featured a variety of schools and sports. Only 30 cards create the college material signatures checklist, all of which are numbered to 99. This multi-color, colossal patch is stunning when paired with a rookie, on-card autograph. College Material Signatures (#/99 or less) pair a relic piece and on-card autograph across the three sports. This card is numbered 78 of 99.
Okafor played his freshman season of college basketball for the 2014-15 Duke national championship team. He was selected with the third overall pick in the 2015 NBA draft by the Philadelphia 76ers.
Among the legends with autographs in Sports Heroes are Sandy Koufax, Joe Montana, John Elway, Nolan Ryan and Floyd Mayweather. There’s also Patrick Ewing whose signature has remained elusive when it comes to trading cards over the years. Hobby boxes are small, delivering just three cards. Many, but not all, of these use Leaf Metal branding and are done on chromium stock. The 2024 Leaf Sports Heroes checklist includes 125 cards, and this particular auto card comes from the base autographs checklist.
Elvin Hayes is a member of the NBA’s 50th and 75th anniversary teams, and is an inductee in the Naismith Hall of Fame. Known for his offensive and defensive prowess, Hayes is often regarded as one of the best power forwards in NBA history. Hayes is also known for his longevity, being seventh all-time in NBA minutes played (at exactly 50,000), and missing only nine games during his 16-season career.
As some of the most eye-catch designs, the 2002-03 Finest cards hold their own through collectors’ eyes. The top two names tracked are LeBron James and Michael Jordan from this set. The top trending card is the #178 LeBron base followed by the #100 Michael Jordan base. However, key rookie cards included: Yao Ming, Amare Stoudemire, Manu Ginobili, Tayshaun Prince, Caron Butler, Jay Williams and others. Also, randomly inserted into packs were redemption cards for the 2003 NBA Draft Lottery that included potential cards of LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade.
After one season at Syracuse, Anthony entered the 2003 NBA draft and was selected with the third overall pick by the Denver Nuggets. While playing for Denver, he led the Nuggets to the playoffs every year from 2004 to 2010; the team won two division titles in that span. In 2009, Anthony led the Nuggets to their first conference finals appearance since 1985. He was named an NBA All-Star ten times, and an All-NBA Team member six times. He played college basketball for the Syracuse Orange, winning a National Championship as a freshman in 2003 while being named the NCAA Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player. In 2021, Carmelo was named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team, and is regarded as one of the greatest scorers in NBA history. Carmelo Anthony played in the Olympics (for the US National team) a record four times, winning a bronze medal with the 2004 squad, and gold medals on the 2008, 2012, and 2016 Olympic teams. As of April 2016, he was the US Olympic team's all-time leader in points, rebounds, and games played. He currently ranks tenth among NBA career scoring leaders.
This rookie F/X #143 of Yao Ming shows the former 1st overall pick and Hall of Famer in GEM MT condition. With fabulous subgrades, and over 350 submissions, there is only 1 card with a higher grade in existence. Anytime a dark signing area is used, it can make it a bit harder to pick out the signature. This is clear with the green background for Yao Ming's SP Authentic rookie. Despite this, it still is a solid option for collectors. As one of the more plentiful autographs out there at 1,500 copies, this is also the easiest to find and prices are still relatively reasonable.
Yao is one of China's best-known athletes internationally, with sponsorships with several major companies. In April of 2016, he was elected into the Naismith Memorial Basketball all of Fame alongside Shaquille O’Neal and Allen Iverson. In doing so, he became the first Chinese national to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. In February of 2017, he was unanimously elected as chairman of the Chinese Basketball Association.
The “college heroes autographs” checklist featured only 20 players. The ‘shimmer’ parallel, in Platinum Blue, are numbered to 10 or less. Hobby boxes were small, delivering just three cards. Many, but not all, of these use Leaf Metal branding and are done on chromium stock.
From 1984 to 2002, Olajuwon played Center and led the Rockets to back-to-back NBA championships in 1994 and 1995. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008. He is widely-considered to be one of the greatest centers, as well as one of te greatest basketball players of all time.
Searching for insert sets including Rookie Royalty, Sno Globe, Test of Time, Pillars of the Game and Hand Crafted, the Crown Royal line from Panini included “Test of Time” inserts numbered to 99 with only 15 players featured.
Luka led the NBA in scoring during the 2023-24 season, becoming the first European to lead the NBA in scoring and second international player to achieve the feat. That season, he led the Mavericks to their third NBA Finals appearance. Doncic, before being traded, was also the Maverick’s franchise leader in career triple-doubles, and held the record for most points in a Mavericks season.
Autograph line-up is limited as far as themes go, but collectors could find Hoops Ink, Hot Signatures and Rookie Ink. All three spun out further with an assortment of parallels. The chromium offering for the season, rooted in the main 2023-24 Hoops release; this set offered more shine, lots of inserts and even more parallels. Aimed primarily at retail, there were multiple configurations, each with their own price points and exclusives.
“Deuces” and “Big Paper Daddy,” Ricky Pierce was selected as an NBA All-Star and twice the Sixth Man of the Year, all while with the Milwaukee Bucks. Although drafted by the Pistons in the 1st round of the 1982 draft, Pierce is likely known for his prowess during his Bucks tenure. On November 9th, 1989, Pierce played a key role in the longest game in the shot clock era, at four hours and 17 minutes, scoring a team leading 36 points on 15 of 21 shooting, during a 155-154 5OT win.
2021-22 Panini Crown Royale Basketball continued to wear a die-cut crown. Its’ court includes a mix of other die-cuts, high-end autographs and memorabilia. Some of Crown Royale’s other autograph inserts take a die-cut approach like the base set. Future Kings Signatures centers on young players while Royal Signatures brings ink from veterans. Memorabilia themes on the checklist included Coat of Arms, Hall of Fame Memorabilia, Heirs to the Throne, and Knights of the Round Table.
Mark Eaton spent his entire career (1982-1993) with the Utah Jazz. Named an NBA All-Star in 1989, he was twice voted NBA Defensive Player of the Year (1985, 1989). The 7-foot-4-inch center led the league in blocks four times and holds the NBA single-season records for blocks (456) and blocked shots per game average (5.6), as well as career blocked shots per game (3.5).