SEATTLE COLLECTOR JENNY LEE WINS PANINI PLAYER OF THE DAY NATIONAL SWEEPSTAKES

 

WNBA legend Cynthia Cooper, Panini, and DJ’s Sports Cards host Lee and 75 of the shop’s top customers for a Grand Prize Celebration

RENTON, WA – March 4, 2026 — What began as opening day excitement for the 2025 Panini WNBA trading cards last fall turned into a once-in-a-lifetime moment for Jenny Lee. The 27-year-old Seattle Storm fan was among the first in line when Panini WNBA trading cards arrived at DJ’s Sports Cards in Renton, WA. Six months later, she found herself center stage as the Panini Player of the Day National Sweepstakes Grand Prize Winner.

For the first time in its more than 20-year-history, the long-standing Panini Player of the Day program – which encompasses multiple sports throughout the year – incorporated Panini WNBA trading cards.

Jenny was selected from more than 100,000 collectors who participated in the promotion across 500 hobby shops nationwide. Her journey began when she pulled the designated WNBA Player of the Day from a pack purchased at DJ’s. After winning her store’s grand prize, including a Skylar Diggins WNBA Player of the Day autographed card, she was entered into the national drawing, where she was randomly selected from winners from all participating stores.

To deliver the surprise last month, Panini and DJ’s Sports Cards staged a special in-store reveal featuring a personalized congratulatory video message from Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer Cynthia Cooper, along with the presentation of a few rare WNBA Player of the Day autographed cards.

The celebration culminated in an exclusive Grand Prize Party on February 24, attended by Jenny’s closest collecting friends and 75 of the shop’s most loyal customers. Cooper hosted a Q&A session, signed autographs, posed for photos, participated in box break contests with everyone in attendance, and joined Jenny in opening an array of premium Panini WNBA products, including 2024 Panini Prizm WNBA, 2025 Panini Impeccable WNBA, 2025 Donruss WNBA, plus boxes of the Panini Caitlin Clark Collection, Panini USWNT and the Panini UConn NIL Collection. Jenny also received a Panini Authentic Angel Reese autographed jersey and additional Panini merchandise.

Among Jenny’s most notable pulls of the night: a Sue Bird Holo Gold /10, Rickea Jackson Elegance Jersey Autograph and Napheesa Collier Silver WNBA Logo /20 all from Panini Impeccable; an Angel Reese autograph from Donruss; and a Sarah Strong On Campus from the UConn NIL Collection. The Sarah Strong card was pulled by Cooper, who gave it to Jenny after learning Strong was her favorite college player.

A Seattle native and software engineer, Jenny has steadily deepened her involvement in the hobby in recent years, setting up as a vendor at local card shows while continuing to build her personal collection. She began collecting WNBA cards in 2019 when Panini launched its WNBA product line with the Donruss brand, and now she collects broadly across the league, with her personal collection focused on her hometown Storm.

“Meeting Cynthia surpassed my expectations,” Jenny said. “I loved hearing her stories during the Q&A and getting the chance to talk with her before the event. Opening packs alongside her and sharing the night with my hobby friends made it an unforgettable experience.”

For more than two decades, the Panini Player of the Day program has helped hobby dealers sell millions of additional packs and award over two million prizes, including 15,000 autographed cards. The program highlights a different “Player of the Day” from a relevant sport during a set time period. Collectors who pull that player from a pack of Panini trading cards win prizes at their local hobby shop. Daily winners advance to weekly and monthly drawings, with each store’s champion entered into the national sweepstakes.

For more information, visit www.PaniniPOD.com.

 

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