Panini America Offers Detailed First Look at 2016-17 Prestige Basketball (Preview)

For the first time since the 2013-14 collecting season, Panini America's popular Prestige Basketball brand is returning to its hobby roots. After two straight years as a Target-exclusive release, 2016-17 Prestige Basketball will reemerge in the hobby with a bold reintroduction that includes a new configuration, new designs, a high-end feel and an affordable price tag.

For the first time since the 2013-14 collecting season, Panini America’s popular Prestige Basketball brand is returning to its hobby roots. After two straight years as a Target-exclusive release, 2016-17 Prestige Basketball will reemerge in the hobby with a bold reintroduction that includes a new configuration, new designs, a high-end feel and an affordable price tag.

Set to arrive in hobby shops across North America in early March, each hobby box of 2016-17 Prestige Basketball (six cards per pack, 24 packs per box, 16 boxes per case) will deliver two autographs, one memorabilia card and 24 inserts or parallels on average. The hobby-exclusive Playmakers, Picks and Pros inserts feature new designs, are printed on holofoil board and fall roughly once per case, on average.

The highlights of 2016-17 Prestige Basketball are many and include . . .

• Old School Ink is back! The collector favorite features a classic look and feel coupled with some of the game’s greatest and most collectible signatures.
• Hobby-exclusive autograph inserts include Preeminent Ink, Stars of the NBA, Distinctive Ink, Prestigious Premieres and NBA Passport, each featuring Rainbow parallel versions numbered to just 10.
• Other hobby-only inserts include Reminiscent, Stat Stars, Hardcourt Heroes, Prestigious Pioneers and Teamwork, each featuring a Rainbow version numbered to 10.
• Showcasing the stacked 2016 NBA Draft Class, Prestigious Picks features a unique design on holo board stock (so it really stands out!) and falls one per case on average.
• Reminiscent pairs members of the 2016-17 NBA Rookie Class with a veteran player featuring a similar skill set. Key combinations include: Kevin Durant/Brandon Ingram, Jimmy Butler/Jaylen Brown, and John Wall/Kris Dunn.
• The ultra-rare Playmakers insert has become a collecting staple of the Prestige brand. Look for these gems to fall one per case on average.
• Find an inviting mix of signatures from NBA greats, rookies and veterans in six distinctly themed autograph sets.

We’ll have plenty more on 2016-17 Prestige Basketball in the coming weeks right here on The Knight’s Lance. But until then, here’s an extended sneak peek:

All information is accurate at the time of posting – content is subject to change and approval. Card images are solely for the purpose of design display. Actual images used on cards to be determined.