An Early Look: 2010-11 Threads Basketball

The vaunted Panini America basketball brand development team made expeditious work Monday of the quality control process for 2010-11 Threads Basketball, but were nice enough to share some of the contents with me so that I could share them with you. Good peeps, those PDT guys.

When Threads hits in early December it will stand out immediately from its 2009-10 predecessor thanks to autographed hard, wood Rookie Cards dedicated to 38 young stars of the, well, hardwood.

The cards, numbered to 399, provide a tangible difference from last year — and a conscientious one. The basketball product team wanted a departure from the Lettermen concept and will count heavily upon feedback from collectors to determine if the move was a good one.

Another key addition for 2010-11 is the All-Time Big Men insert that pays homage to basketball’s greatest gargantuans.

Of course, the product also delivers those elements collectors have come to expect from Threads, namely rich rookie content and more than 20,000 on-card autographs. The product releases December 1. Here’s a gallery of images to whet your post-Thanksgiving appetite.