Kobe Bryant
Buzz Break: 2016-17 NBA Hoops basketball cards (blaster box)
From time to time, Buzz will break a box of something and post the results here. Like this and want to see more? Or maybe there's a box you'd want to see busted? Send Buzz an email at BlowoutBuzz@blowoutcards.com.
The box: 2016-17 NBA Hoops basketball cards (blaster box)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (for hobby)
Packs per box: 10
Cards per pack: 11
Cards in this box: 110
Base set completion: 99 of 300 (33 percent)
Duplicates: 0Notable players on base cards – Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Andrew Wiggins, Dwight Howard, Jahlil Okafor, Damian Lillard, Kawhi Leonard
Rookie Cards (12) – Kris Dunn, Kay Felder, Brandon Ingram, Timothy Luwawu-Carbarrot, DeAndre' Bembry, Michael Gbinije, Damian Jones, Malik Beasley, Henry Ellenson, Caris LeVert, Thon Maker, Chinanu Onuaku
First Buzz: 2016-17 Absolute basketball cards
What: 2016-17 Absolute basketball cards
Arrives: Dec. 14
Box basics: Four autograph or memorabilia cards per four-pack box (10 boxes per case)
What's buzz-worthy: One of Panini's longer-running brands takes to the court with a full array of autographs and memorabilia.
Keep reading for more info and a full gallery of images released so far.
Panini joins forces with 2K Sports for latest Kobe Bryant tribute set
Panini America has a new Kobe Bryant tribute set that can be found in packs of 2016-17 NBA Hoops but can only be completed in "packs" of NBA 2k17 from 2K Sports.
Hoops arrives tomorrow, while the video game is out now.
Panini Eternal launches 20-week Kobe Bryant tribute
It's a Panini Eternal tribute.
Panini America's high-end real-time cardboard program has added a twist today with the start of a 20-week 2016-17 Panini Eternal Kobe Bryant tribute set.
"Each card will honor one season from Bryant’s decorated two-decade career and many will feature game-worn material, precious gems or autographs," read a statement from the company. A new card will launch every Friday.
Lakers legend Kobe Bryant gets latest Panini Eternal spotlight
The Black Mamba gets the nod.
Panini America's fourth offering in its high-end real-time cardboard program and the 2016-17 Panini Eternal set was released on Wednesday night with a shooting shirt of former Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant being the showcase piece.
First Buzz: 2016 TRISTAR Quest Top Shelf
What: 2016 TRISTAR Quest Top Shelf
Arrives: Oct. 26
Box basics: Four envelopes per box -- each with an autographed item or memorabilia redemption inside (one box per case)What's buzz-worthy: TRISTAR's Quest takes things up a notch with a breaker product that is the company's most high-end line to date.
Keep reading for more.
Board Buzz: Must-read threads on the Blowout Forums (Sept. 11)
The Blowout Cards Forums are where thousands of collectors converge daily to discuss, well, a little bit of everything. Here are five threads about collecting and more that you should check out right now.
What's Buzzing Today: The day the game was canceled, big breaks and ... fake Kobe Bryant Rookie Cards?
First Buzz: 2015-16 Panini Preferred basketball cards
What: 2015-16 Panini Preferred basketball cards
Arrives: July 27
Box basics: Two autographs and two memorabilia booklets per two-pack box (eight boxes per case)
What's buzz-worthy: Playbook gets a slight revamp to include an auto and a booklet in each pack, while continuing to include game-specific memorabilia booklets and a massive autograph set that is free of stickers.
Keep reading for more info and a full gallery of images released so far.
First Buzz: 2016 TRISTAR Quest Discovery autographs
What: 2016 TRISTAR Quest Discovery autographs
Arrives: May 25
Box basics: Five envelopes per box -- each with an autographed flat or memorabilia redemption inside (three boxes per case)What's buzz-worthy: TRISTAR is creating this one solely for breakers, giving online collectors a shot at some of the biggest autographs possible in the sports world and beyond.
Keep reading for more.
Court number from Kobe Bryant's final game scorches at auction
Update: It sold for $179,100 on May 16.
Kobe Bryant's final game sparked a few fireworks with his 60 points at the Staples Center, but the show is not over.
The No. 8 added to the floor just for that game, which Bryant signed afterward, is heating things up on the auction block.
Board Buzz: Must-read threads on the Blowout Forums (April 23)
The Blowout Cards Forums are where thousands of collectors converge daily to discuss, well, a little bit of everything. Here are five threads about collecting and more that you should check out right now.
What's Buzzing Today: Finest distribution changes, trading Mike Trout, debating Michael Jordan and ... a ton of Flawless Kobes (way more than just those seen here).
First Buzz: 2015-16 Panini Spectra basketball cards
What: 2015-16 Panini Spectra basketball cards
Arrives: June 8
Box basics: Seven autographs or memorabilia cards per 10-card box (five boxes per case)
What's buzz-worthy: Spectra combines memorabilia with ink on every autographed card in the brand with jumbo memorabilia pieces to be found elsewhere in a package that's nearly all about the hits and a rainbow of color.
Keep reading for more info and a full gallery of images released so far.
Kobe Bryant's last game creates newest Kobe memorabilia
Fans who attended Kobe Bryant's final game Wednesday night in Los Angeles received a 32-page KB20 book/program, which is now his newest piece of memorabilia lighting up eBay.
It's not 60-point finale hot, but it's not bad.
Kobe Bryant's final game coincides with Panini America tribute set
As the Black Mamba prepares for his final game, Panini America is offering a timely tribute.
The "Zircus" -- a zoo and a circus -- happens on Wednesday at the Staples Center in Los Angeles as Kobe Bryant plays his final NBA game, and that's the same day that a "HeroVillain" boxed set will begin shipping.
Kobe Bryant's NBA All-Star jersey dominates at auction, doubling past record & Steph Curry's gamer, too
One of Kobe Bryant's final NBA All-Star Game jerseys got a big send-off on Thursday just like the star who wore it.
How? Via NBA Auctions.
The jersey was worn during the first half of his final All-Star Game on Feb. 14 in Toronto and sold for $100,040 after 74 bids -- basically doubling what is believed to be the previous high for a jersey sold on the site.
First Buzz: 2015-16 Panini Noir basketball cards
What: 2015-16 Panini Noir basketball cards
Arrives: May 25
Box basics: Seven autographs or memorabilia cards per 12-card box (three boxes per case)What's buzz-worthy: Noir returns for another run on the court and it's bringing with it the premium NBA Championship tags from players' jerseys, striking rookie variations and "star-studded autograph checklists that showcase rookies, veterans and retired players."
Keep reading for more and a full gallery of images.
First Buzz: 2015-16 Panini Clear Vision basketball cards
What: 2015-16 Panini Clear Vision basketball cards
Arrives: May 13
Box basics: Two rookies, one insert and two parallels per box with one auto per inner case (two eight-box inner cases per 16-box case)What's buzz-worthy: The acetate-driven Clear Vision comes to the basketball court as a standalone product with five four-card packs per box and every card inside being a clearly conceived creation printed on plastic.
Keep reading for more and a full gallery of images.
Aaron Gordon may not have won dunk contest, but his cards might be winner from NBA All-Star weekend
Orlando Magic forward Aaron Gordon may not have won the NBA's slam dunk contest during the All-Star weekend, but he's arguably the biggest winner on cardboard from the midseason showcase.
The story lines heading into this one revolved around the big names -- the biggest name and story being the final All-Star appearance for Kobe Bryant -- and the game's MVP was a big and well-collected name, too, in Russell Westbrook. Even the dunk contest winner, Zach LaVine, was already well-known with his status as last year's winner.
Gordon is the one who was introduced to the world -- or at least the world of casual basketball fans and collectors.
First Buzz: 2015-16 Panini Luxe basketball cards
What: 2015-16 Panini Luxe basketball cards
Arrives: March 23
Box basics: Four autographs or memorabilia cards per box (eight boxes per case)What's buzz-worthy: Luxe is back with a new look but packing nothing but hits and at least two autographs per box with every card limited to no more than 99 copies.
Keep reading for more and a full gallery of images.
Board Buzz: Five must-read threads on the Blowout Forums (Dec. 31)
The Blowout Cards Forums are where thousands of collectors converge daily to discuss, well, a little bit of everything. Here are five threads about collecting and more that you should check out right now.
What's Buzzing: Multi-player cards, player-worn patches, Court Kings, goals and resolutions for 2016, college football and more on the forum that recently joined the 10-Million Post Club.
eBay Buzz: This perfect Kobe Bryant 1996-97 Topps Chrome rookie Refractor is how much?
When Topps Chrome arrived in basketball, it was a bit simpler time than it is today -- so much so that the brand was a retail-only release because the idea of merely Chroming a set perhaps wasn't a sure thing.
Plenty of time has passed since 1996 and in that time so has the career of Los Angeles Laker Kobe Bryant who was a rookie back in 1996-97 Topps Chrome.
The best card in that landmark product is arguably Bryant's Refractor version of his Rookie Card and this copy is the best of the best of the thousands that were pulled and saved since then.
First Buzz: 2015 Leaf SportKings trading cards
What: 2015 Leaf SportKings trading cards
Arrives: January 2016
Box basics: One autograph, one memorabilia card, four base cards and one mini per box.What's buzz-worthy: SportKings returns with a new mix of cards that includes numbered autographed parallels and buyback autographs for stars throughout the sports world (and even a few from elsewhere) on the famed design from the 1930s.
Keep reading for more and a full gallery of images.
Buzz List: Five top Santa Claus cards *serious* collectors need right now
With the holiday season here, cardboard is probably on the minds of many Buzz readers as they wonder what might await them soon.
Others, like Buzz, might be thinking of Cardboard of Christmas Past -- you know, some of the Santa Claus trading cards we've seen throughout the years. Most of it's trivial and not all that collectable -- but they all stand out in a way compared to our traditional sports cards.
1989 Pro Set Promos #1989
When Dallas-based Pro Set created this card during its first season of making football cards in 1989, it sparked a trend that we saw in not just football cards but other areas in the years that followed. (Boy are there some bad Photoshop jobs there in the 1990s.) For all intents and purposes, though, Buzz would call this one a "Rookie Card." Yes, there were previous non-sports cards -- but this was the one that put cards like this on the minds of the sports-collecting masses after it was mailed out to dealers and selected NFL-related people.First Buzz: 2015-16 Panini Select basketball cards
What: 2015-16 Panini Select basketball cards
Arrives: March 3, 2016
Box basics: Three autographs or memorabilia cards per 12-pack boxWhat's buzz-worthy: Select returns for another season with on-card autographs and prime memorabilia pieces along with a rainbow of Prizmatic color and insert sets featuring the NBA's top stars and top rookies all in three types of base sets.
Keep reading for more and a full gallery of images.
Kobe Bryant retirement letters fetch big bucks -- and are also reprinted
Buzz knew these would be a big deal -- but not this big.
The night Kobe Bryant confirmed that this season will be his last, all 18,997 fans in attendance at that night's Los Angeles Lakers game received a sealed envelope with a copy of his farewell letter printed with a facsimile autograph.
It turns out there are a few more people out there that want them.