Hoops Hobby

It’s the one night a year you will find me glued to the TV for an entire evening. A night where the entire trajectory of a franchise can change. It’s the NBA Draft, and it’s this week.

As part of the lead up to the draft, I’ve been taking a look at my collection for ‘Draft’ themed cards. The ones that immediately came to mind were these ‘Class of’ memorabilia cards from 2002-03 Hoops Hot Prospects. I love the pairing of Reggie Miller and David Robinson. I don’t typically think of them being tied in that way, since Robinson didn’t start his NBA career until 1989 because of his military service, but they were in the same draft class and it’s cool to see them on a card together!

I appreciate Tinsley being paired with Gasol – it speaks to how Tinsley was thought of in the league at that time. Gasol went 3rd while Tinsley was 27th for reference.

The current Pacers are close to being a playoff team, if they’re not already with returning pieces. A solid draft night could put them there. Sometimes a trade for a veteran ends up being the missing puzzle piece.

That was the case back in 2011. While many remember this as the night the Pacers drafted Kawhi Leonard and traded him away, I remember the excitement of the Pacers trading for one of my already favorite players, George Hill. He was the piece the Pacers needed, being a starter for several deep playoff runs where the Pacers played LeBron, Wade, and Bosh’s Heat teams tougher than any other.

And while the Pacers may be looking to move around in the first round, possibly trade for veteran players, they also could end up keeping their #7 and add a new young piece. Last year drafting 6 and this year 7 is unusual for the Pacers, and while they still aren’t picking at the very top of the draft, they’ve had success in previous years in finding top players.

I continue to appreciate the 2010-11 Donruss set, the first Donruss set in the Panini era, and in particular this Paul George rookie, a great shot from a rookie photoshoot.

The Pacers also have several picks at the end of the first round/early second round, and while these are less likely to ‘hit’, I have a few draft ‘themed’ cards from a certain rookie that made a big impact on the team.

The 2000-01 Upper Deck Legends is an XRC, which I’m a big fan of from the early 2000s. The blue background and basketball texture makes for a beautiful card.

The Flair rookie cards from 2001-02 feature ‘Class of ’01’ text, which gives a draft vibe, along with the NBA practice jersey Tinsley is sporting.

Speaking of XRCs, the Fred Jones from 2001-02 Upper Deck Inspirations also has that basketball textured surface.

The yellow is a great fit for this David Harrison Draft Day Rookie from 2004-05 Fleer Tradition. I’m putting together a Pacers team set of Crystal parallels, but none of them look as good as this Draft Day rookie /375.

It would be a shame to talk about ‘Draft’ cards without mentioning Topps and Stadium Club from the 90s. The 1995-96 Topps Travis Best Draft Exchange card, in particular, stands out. Another late pick who ended up being a key member of deep playoff runs in the late 90s.

With draft picks come introductory press conferences. 1998-99 Ultra has some ‘iconic-to-me’ rookies- Vince in particular was the hot player in the late 90s, and to have a piece of that set in my collection is fun for me. I definitely would love to have a platinum medallion rookie, but they are tough to come by.

It wouldn’t be a draft themed post without photoshoot memorabilia cards, and this Granger from 2005-06 Topps Big Game is at the top of my list. The only thing that bothers me a hair on this one is the crookedness of the sticker, but it’s a great looking card.

NBA products in 2002-03 were filled with photo shoot rookie memorabilia cards, across multiple card manufacturers. I opened a box of 2002-03 Topps Xpectations back at the time of release and thought it was an underrated box/value at the time, so I’ve always appreciated that set, and the First Shot relics in particular.

Sometimes veterans signed during the offseason are included in photoshoots, as was the case with this Sarunas relic.

Last photo shoot relic, I promise.

I leave you with another ‘iconic-to-me’ set. When I think of rookie cards from the Collector’s Choice brand, I immediately think of the ‘ladder rookies’, and in particular this Travis Best. From a nostalgia perspective, it doesn’t get much better than this.

Enjoy the draft, everyone! I’ll be tuned in trying to avoid checking Twitter so each pick isn’t spoiled.