Dig Into Prizm History Ahead of Panini Prizm Deca Basketball

June 21, 2024

With the release of Panini Prizm Deca Basketball fast approaching, there’s no better time to go through the history of one of the most popular brands of basketball cards to ever hit the shelves. The past decade has seen many aspects of Panini Prizm become refined, helping it evolve into one of the most sought-after releases on a yearly basis, and a new release will land soon — Prizm Deca. Follow us down memory lane for a recap of Panini Prizm Basketball before we highlight what’s in store for that anticipated release.

Panini Prizm was originally released in 2012-13 with two offerings: Hobby and Retail. Within were three parallels, Silver, Gold and Green. The shimmering Gold really caught the eyes of collectors, becoming one of the most popular parallels Panini has ever produced. That status still holds true to this day.

The 300-card base set included nearly 100 rookies between the 2011 and 2012 draft classes, and the clean design, simple structure and modern feel of the cards — not to mention a plethora of autographs and a massive checklist of youngsters — made the release a celebrity among its kind.

The release of Prizm also marked the first time since 2008-09 that basketball collectors were able to chase a chromium set, filling a much-needed niche within the hobby of card collecting. If there were ever a set that changed the market, it was undoubtedly the coveted Panini Prizm.

How do you follow up something so successful? Well, in 2013-14, Panini introduced the Black Prizm one-of-one, adding a whole new level of elite exclusivity to a set already bursting with excitement.

Things only got better from there. In 2015-16, the Mojo Prizm and White Sparkle Pack were fresh additions, followed by the 1^st Off the Line and Fast Break Prizm SKUs in 2017-18. Then, the following year, the Choice Prizm offering was introduced, which contained the ever-popular one-of-one Nebula Prizm.

Aside from the different inserts that have become available over the years, Panini Prizm was, and still is, famous for the massive number of star and rookie players who had cards made of them. Some of the most notable former rookies to grace the set include names such as Anthony Davis, Jaylen Brown, Luka Dončić, Trae Young, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Zion Williamson and Anthony Edwards.

Since releasing, Doncic’s Prizm rookie cards have become some of the most highly valued cards in the world of trading cards, regardless of sport.

Fast-forward to the present day and we have the all-new 2023-24 Panini Prizm Deca set. You’ll have plenty of flashbacks to the inception of Panini Prizm, as Deca pays tribute to the past with many of the same designs for Base, Inserts and Autographs, with fresh players lists and an updated parallel structure. There’s no better way to celebrate over a decade of Prizm than by getting your hands on the Deca Basketball set.

Every year has brought new and exciting aspects to Panini Prizm, from unique and exclusive inserts to new rookie cards for hoops fans across the world to collect. Keep an eye out for the official 10-year anniversary date — and the Prizm Deca release — and see what else we have in store for the future of one of the most popular card brands in basketball.