Suns Rise to No. 11 in Ongoing 30 Weeks| 30 Teams NBA Countdown
The Suns have been home to some of the game’s greatest players including Charles Barkley, Connie Hawkins, Jason Kidd, Shaquille O’Neal and Kevin Johnson. Ten Suns players have been enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame. The club may still be looking for its first NBA championship, but the organization has enjoyed a lot of success in the desert. In…
Dallas Mavs Check in at No. 17 in Ongoing 30 Weeks| 30 Teams NBA Countdown
The Dallas Mavericks were founded in 1980 by Don Carter, famous for his cowboy hat that would become part of the team's first logo. With their very first NBA Draft pick, they selected Kiki Vandeweghe, who was later traded. That trade turned out to be a huge benefit when they used the draft pick to select Rolando Blackman the next…
Teaser Gallery: Panini America Breaks Early Boxes of 2014-15 Preferred Basketball
This is shaping up to be one monumental basketball week for Panini America, what with Wednesday's release of the highly anticipated 2014-15 Preferred Basketball setting the stage for Thursday's 2015 NBA Draft. Heck, the week even started with a huge hoops focus during this morning's sit-down signing session with Los Angeles Clippers superstar Chris Paul. Trust us, we'll have plenty…
Teaser Gallery: Panini America Cracks Open One Early Box of 2013-14 Panini Basketball
In this collecting age of specialty products tailored specifically to different interests, a good, old-fashioned every-collector type of release -- especially one with great photography, lots of color, lots of inserts, an affordable SRP, tough chase cards, tons of Rookie Cards and a strong autograph roster -- can seem like a revolutionary idea. For proof, look no farther than 2013-14…
Base-Set Variations Bring Chase, Intrigue to 2012-13 Gold Standard Basketball
One of the most interesting -- but perhaps less-heralded -- aspects of Panini America's Gold Standard Basketball brand during its first three years in existence has been the inclusion of veteran base-set variations that have created feeding frenzies for the rarest versions among impacted player collectors. The phenomenon began with that inaugural 2010-11 Gold Standard Basketball release and featured Pete Maravich,…
Teaser Gallery: Panini America Opens First Box of 2012-13 Select Basketball
Teasing Tuesday continues here on The Knight's Lance as we follow our 2012 Playbook Football Teaser Gallery from earlier this morning with another first-box peek, this time showcasing one randomly early box of the highly anticipated 2012-13 Select Basketball product. If 2012-13 Prizm Basketball ignited the fire for Panini America's wildly popular Prizm technology, the preliminary buzz on Select has continued…
Panini America Teams with Lakers to Honor Landmark Achievements of Kobe, Nash
During tonight's game between the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers at the Staples Center (9:30 p.m. CST), Panini America will be in attendance to honor the recent significant statistical feats of Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash like only the company can: With two special trading cards available only by visiting the Panini America booth at the game. The special Score…
The Panini America Quality Control Gallery: 2012-13 Totally Certified Basketball
I found myself immersed in a hardcore hoops hobby nirvana last Friday at the Panini America printing facility as two of Panini America's basketball behemoths -- 2012-13 Totally Certified and 2012-13 Prizm -- were running on two different production lines simultaneously. My ADD ventured into blissful overdrive as Panini America NBA brand brethren Keith Hower, Wes Elliott and Cory Hollingsworth…
Here’s to You: Revisiting Panini America’s “Favorite NBA Card” Contest (Gallery)
To honor the start of the 2012-13 NBA season last Tuesday, we asked you to post a picture of yourself with your favorite Panini America NBA trading card. The payoff, at least initially, was going to be three boxes of 2012-13 NBA trading cards (one Hoops, one Prestige, one Threads). Of course, that was before you went and proved for the…
The Panini America QC Gallery & Checklist: 2012-13 Threads Basketball (59 Images)
Late yesterday afternoon we provided an appetizing selection of 20 images from the just-completed quality-control process for 2012-13 Threads Basketball, which begins shipping on Monday. Today, we're back with the massive main course. 2012-13 Threads Basketball is the third Panini America NBA release of the new season and delivers, among other things, the first cards of superstars such as Dwight…