Basketball Cards – The Forgotten Hobby

I believe that basketball cards are a vastly underrated sector of the hobby. As one of the original “big four” sports, it seems to have the smallest following and generates very little buzz in the community. That’s not to say that there isn’t a passionate group of fans that are engaged but the truth is that it’s just not close to Baseball, Football and Hockey. I love basketball and have personally collected basketball cards since the late 80’s but even my collection pales in comparison to Baseball and Football. My hockey collection is almost non-existent thanks to my location in the country. I don’t know the exact reason it lags behind the other sports but it’s clearly not on the same level.Yet, as I sifted through my basketball cards last night, the same great memories I have with baseball and football came rushing back to me. I was taken back to when I spent all of my lawn mowing money grabbing ’89 Hoops at the local Wal-Mart and desperately hoping for the David Robinson rookie. I remembered those Saturdays spent betting basketball cards on actual pick up basketball games. I found names that may not be everyday names now but were huge gets back then flashed before my eyes. I found that memorable Hoops Shawn Kemp Rookie card that I loved so much. Kemp was one of the fiercest dunkers of my generation! I stumbled across the Sean Elliott RC card and I remembered how smooth his jumper was and trying to emulate it in my backyard. And then I found the iconic names! Basketball is still a great sport to watch and there are lots of superstars that litter the league but the game was on a totally different level when I started collecting in the late 80’s.

The Bigs

We’ll save the icon section for the end but there are some huge names to be found in the stack of bigs I have. These four were some of my favorites. Hakeem (Akeem) “The Dream” Olajuwon was an absolute beast that was as smooth a big man as there was. His “Dream Shake” was a thing of beauty. Patrick Ewing was probably the most popular big man of the group during that time thanks in part to the market he played in. He was on some very good Knick teams but they always came up a tad short in the Championship department. One player that did not come up short in that department was “The Admiral”, David Robinson. He was another big man who played the game like a stretch forward. He had a smooth jumper and could bang down low as well. The final on the Mount Rushmore of Dub Centers was the least smooth. He was to smooth, what was rain is to dry. BUT, don’t bring any weak offense towards Dikembe Mutombo because he would send that mess packing. He was a Hawk for many years and was always a fan favorite.  Stadium Club made a BEAUTIFUL basketball card!

The Forwards

Some big names here too but I have my own favorites again. I liked the Fab Four in college but I was actually pulling for UNC because Eric Montross was one of my favorite players. I was, however, devastated that it happened the way it did for Webber. I am probably in a bit of the minority but I really liked Chris Webber. I often wonder what would have happened with the Magic if they had kept him but it’s hard to argue with Penny Hardaway’s production. The Mailman was another personal favorite but he came up short in the championship series’ as well during his career. The “Round Mound of Rebound”, Charles Barkley, played on one of the best teams in the 90’s to take on the Bulls in a championship….Still lost. Finally, I mentioned Shawn Kemp above. Always loved Shawn Kemp!

The Guards

I had some obvious favorites in this group and then maybe a surprise or two. Allen Iverson was the most entertaining player to watch for a stretch of time in the 90’s. The guy could do almost anything, except practice. One of the purest shooters of my generation was Reggie Miller and he stepped up huge in the spotlight many times but could never get over the championship hump either. You may sense a trend with the championships here but it’s important to remember that the Bulls were alive and well during the 90’s. Drexler did get a championship but it was with the Rockets during a year that Michael Jordan was off playing baseball. They beat my Orlando Magic, who we’ll discuss a little more below. Finally, Tim Hardaway was the creator of the “Killer Crossover” and was so much fun to watch. I loved that Golden State team that had Hardaway, Richmond, Mullin and Webber. Now, Tim Jr. plays for my beloved Hawks and he is blossoming into a young star as well.

The Orlando Magic

The Magic were an expansion team that was formed during my early collection years. They slowly built their team through the draft. Their first pick in 1989 was one of my favorite players, Nick Anderson. They followed up in 1990 with the shooter from Georgia Tech, “3-D” Dennis Scott. Then Shaq Diesel came in 1992 with the number 1 overall pick. The Magic won the #1 overall pick again in 1993, despite having very low odds in the lottery. They did a draft and trade of Chris Webber for Anfernee “Penny” Hardaway. At the time of the move, I was disappointed because I could only imagine that Webber and Shaq down low would be the perfect compliment to Scott and Anderson on the wings. But then Penny Hardaway showed me that he may have been the best all around point guard in the league. They eventually made it to the NBA finals in 1995, only to fall to the Rockets with Olajuwon, Drexler, Kenny Smith, Robert Horry and Sam Cassell. In hindsight, that Rockets team was absolutely loaded!

The Charlotte Hornets

Another expansion team from my youth, they also had a solid stretch of picks in the early 90’s. They drafted Larry Johnson in ’91 and Alonzo Mourning in ’92 and they went on to form one of the most formidable front courts in the league. Mourning was an offensive and defensive force and Johnson was a ball of muscle that could shoot and rebound. Mourning would eventually be inducted to the Hall of Fame but that honor has thus far eluded “Grand-mama” for reasons I don’t quite understand yet. Whether you collected cards or not, if you were a basketball fan, odds were high that you were the proud owner of some Hornets Starter gear in the early 90’s.  

The Yugoslavians

I was a big fan of both Vlade Divac and Drazen Petrovic. Draz could shoot the lights out and Divac was a gentle giant. I did not know their connections at the time I was watching them play but later saw the 30 for 30, “Once Brothers”. If you’ve never seen it, I encourage you to do so as soon as possible. It is probably my favorite 30 for 30 episodes but is without a doubt in my top 3. Vlade had a very nice run with the Lakers in the early 90’s while Petrovic struggled to find his home until a move to the New Jersey Nets. Most of you are familiar with the story of Petrovic’s fatal car crash that cut his career short. Again, go watch “Once Brothers”. You’ll thank me for it.

The Star That Faded Too Soon

Speaking of tragic deaths that cut a career short, none were more tragic to me than that of Reggie Lewis. Reggie was well on his way to absolute stardom when he tragically lost his life on the basketball court. He was selected as an All-Star in 1992 and was coming off of back to back 20+ PPG seasons. He had averaged 17.6 over his first 6 seasons with the Celtics. In the first round of the playoffs against Charlotte, on April 29, 1993, Lewis collapsed on the court and was taken to the hospital. He would not return that series. Later, on July 27, 1993, Lewis was practicing at Brandeis University, where he suffered sudden cardiac death, at only 27 years old. I remember seeing the headline on ESPN while I was at a church camp that summer. It was devastating news and one of my first looks at a young healthy person losing their life.  I absolutely LOVED that Skybox Set!

The Icons

Last, but certainly not least, we have the Icons of my generation. Some of the above players deserve consideration but these 4 were the cream of the crop for me. Michael Jordan is the greatest player to ever step on the court, I don’t care what you have to say about LeBron. Magic was the greatest point guard to ever play the game and is probably the 2nd best all around player of all time. Larry Bird is the greatest shooter of all time and played with as much effort and grit as anyone before or after his time. Finally, as a Hawk and UGA fan, “The Human Highlight Film”, Dominique Wilkins is my favorite basketball player of all time. Dunk Champion, Scoring Champion, All-Time First Teamer and absolute stud on the court, Nique still resides in Atlanta and is one of the play by play analysts for the Hawks. I had the good fortune of meeting him at Atlanta Motor Speedway one year for a photo and autograph. It was a great moment for me!So as you can see, basketball collecting definitely belongs on the big stage. There is a largely untapped market out there that is begging to be hobby-fied (new made up word). There are some really fine products on the market today as well but not the quantity that’s available in other sports. I buy some from time to time but a big part of collecting to me is sharing and trading with other collectors. I just haven’t found enough yet to go head first into the sport. I’m ready though!

 J-Dub