NBA
Steph Curry makes history -- but hobby expectations remain high
Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Moses Malone, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Tim Duncan, Steve Nash, LeBron James and Steph Curry.Those are the players who have taken home the NBA's Most Valuable Player Award in back-to-back seasons -- and none of them have done it in unanimous fashion except for Curry, who made history on Tuesday.
It's an elite club for sure.
Board Buzz: Must-read threads on the Blowout Forums (May 8)

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: Showing off your Top 10 cards, 1990s NBA box breaks, Bartolo Colon's historic homer, 2015 Topps Diamond & Tim Duncan's cardboard.
So, a collector walks into a store and buys a raw Michael Jordan RC ...
So, a collector walks into a card shop and buys a raw Michael Jordan Rookie Card ... stop us if you've heard this one before.This time, though, the card went to Beckett Grading Services for examination.
The result?
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.
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.
First Buzz: 2016 Super Break Super Sixer Mixer
What: 2016 Super Break Super Sixer Mixer
Arrives: May 6
Box basics: Between eight and 16 hits per six-pack box
What's buzz-worthy: Super Break's newest product includes a mix of baseball, football and basketball packs loaded with nothing but big cards in raw and graded form.
Gallery: 2015-16 Panini Luxe basketball cards
As the NBA postseason marches on so does the basketball card season and the latest release from Panini America is a high-end brand loaded with hits.Every box of 2015-16 Panini Luxe, which arrived this week, packs just four cards inside and they are all autographs or memorabilia cards for a premium price.
First Buzz: 2015-16 Panini Gala basketball cards
What: 2015-16 Panini Gala basketball cards
Arrives: June 29
Box basics: Four autographs or memorabilia cards and one base card per five-card box (eight boxes per case)
What's buzz-worthy: The second edition of Gala arrives with a new batch of Rookie Cards limited to only eight copies, while all autographs and memorabilia cards are limited to no more than 60 copies.
Keep reading for more info and a full gallery of images released so far.
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 Black Gold basketball cards
What: 2015-16 Panini Black Gold basketball cards
Arrives: June 29
Box basics: Four autographs or memorabilia cards per two-pack box (eight boxes per case)
What's buzz-worthy: After two years on the gridiron, Black Gold comes to basketball bringing its acetate- and gold-laden lineup to the international game with some looks back at the ABA, too.
Keep reading for more info and a full gallery of images released so far.
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.
Spurs star Kawhi Leonard joins elite company with second straight NBA Defensive Player of Year Award
San Antonio Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard just finished his fifth season in the NBA and he's already added to a strong resume that should spark interest in his perhaps still-overlooked cards.He was named the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year for the second season in a row on Monday and that puts him in some elite territory as only the eighth player in league history to win the award in back-to-back seasons and just the ninth multi-time winner.
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.
First Buzz: 2015-16 Panini Excalibur basketball cards
What: 2015-16 Panini Excalibur basketball cards
Arrives: May 18
Box basics: Three autographs or memorabilia cards per six-pack box (20 boxes per case)
What's buzz-worthy: The regal feel of Excalibur returns with the same explosive inserts but a new lineup of rookies and a heavy number of RCs and inserts per box.
Keep reading for more info and a full gallery of images released so far.
Board Buzz: Must-read threads on the Blowout Forums (March 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 Today: Collecting legendary sets, breaking 2016 Topps Legacies, wishes for NASCAR, who to collect & more
Board Buzz: Must-read threads on the Blowout Forums (March 26)
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: National Treasures, Donruss blasters, Duke's finest, best baseball movies, the Maikel Franco debate & more
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.
Panini America brings Player of the Day promo to NBA & makes some Hickory Pacers cardboard, too
It's nod to the past and the big screen, but one card in the forthcoming Panini NBA Player of the Day set might stand out to some collectors as different.It's a Paul George card in the Indiana Pacers' "Hickory Pacers" uniforms worn a few times this season. Why? It's the 30th anniversary of the movie Hoosiers, an Indiana basketball staple, and that's one of the ways the Pacers are honoring the rich history of the game in the state on "Hickory Nights." It's a promotion that has resulted in big demand for Hickory items from the team.
Have the Hickory uniforms hit cardboard previously this season? Buzz hasn't seen every card but it's possible that this is the first. (Tweet Buzz or leave a comment if you have seen others.)
Now, on to the Player of the Day details ...
Board Buzz: Must-read threads on the Blowout Forums (March 17)
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: Collectors react to the Adam LaRoche story, breaking 2016 Donruss & 2016 Topps Heritage, best NBA sets & more
Buzz Break: 2014-15 Panini Prizm basketball (super value rack 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: 2014-15 Panini Prizm basketball cards (super value rack box)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.comPacks per box: 12 (each pack contains three standard Prizm packs and one three-card Red, White and Blue Prizm pack)
Cards per pack: 15
Cards in this box: 180
Base set completion: 109 of 250 (44 percent)
Duplicates: 0Base cards of notable players – LeBron James, Russell Westbrook, Tony Parker, Kevin Durant, Kevin Garnett, Chris Paul, Kobe Bryant, George Mikan, Wilt Chamberlain, Shaquille O'Neal, Larry Bird, Grant Hill
Rookie Cards (short-prints) pulled (23) – Jabari Parker, Joel Embiid, Aaron Gordon, Noah Vonleh, Elfrid Payton, Zach Lavine, T.J. Warren, James Young, Tyler Ennis, Gary Harris, Rodney Hood, James Ennis, Kyle Anderson, Joe Harris, Jusuf Nurkic, Glenn Robinson III, Nick Johnson, Dwight Powell, Jordan Clarkson, Russ Smith, Devyn Marble, James Michael McAdoo, Nikola Mirotic
Board Buzz: Must-read threads on the Blowout Forums (March 14)
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: Basketball & 2016 Topps Heritage breaks, The Mariota-Winston Debate, suspensions and lost maildays ... big lost maildays.
First Buzz: 2015-16 Panini Threads basketball cards
What: 2015-16 Panini Threads basketball cards
Arrives: Late March (Target stores only)
Box basics: Two autographs and two memorabilia cards per six-card hobby premium box; One memorabilia card per one-pack blaster box; also gravity boxes.What's buzz-worthy: The retail-exclusive Threads arrives in Target stores once again with an array of pack options that all include features not found in other versions of the packs. Atop that, there are new Voices of the Game and other inserts bound to entice.
Keep reading for more and a full gallery of images.
Panini reveals short-printed variations in 2015-16 Gold Standard
Base cards are becoming less and less of a find in high-end brands but Panini America has helped keep them on the minds of basketball collectors this year with photo variations in 2015-16 Panini Gold Standard.And the company has disclosed which variations are the toughest pulls from the high-end product.
Gallery: 2015-16 Panini Select basketball cards
A slightly more higher-end version of the Panini America Prizmatic rainbow arrives with a different name today with 2015-16 Panini Select basketball -- a brand that packs all kinds of color along with a number of hits in a relatively small and affordable box.Every 12-pack box includes three autographs or memorabilia cards with a standard card selection that's divided into three sets and some type of Prizm insert in every pack.
































