This is my second look at 2018-19 Panini Contenders Draft Picks basketball cards. I found this random blaster still sitting in a small town Wal-Mart about 45 minutes from here and couldn't pass it up. Luka Doncic and Trae Young are the big draws for these which average one autograph per. Mine was Brooklyn Nets' rookie SG Theo Pinson. Nothing to write home about yet but he is still young. The highlight for me is my first, and second, Charles Barkley cards I've pulled since he decided to jump back into the trading card game. I love retired greats on new wax and he is an all-time great and is and a fun analyst for TNT that I really like.
The Kawhi Leonard is a blue parallel and the Chris Paul is a draft ticket parallel which is supposed to be numbered /99 but it is not. Very confusing and it seems I've come across this in other Contenders basketball cards. And of course Larry Legend...
The small set size means you'll see plenty of star power in these cards. All these guys have been very busy in the playoffs. I pulled 15 photo variation cards. They are easily marked with a bold "V" on the back and these fall at the same rate as the standard cards. In the case of two players I pulled the base and the photo variation.
The inserts are pretty cool as we finally get to see some college unis though they aren't always in color. I do wish these weren't quite so white but I really don't have too big an issue with it. This Contenders set is fun for me and it'll be hard not to pick up more given the opportunity.
Portland is tied 1-1 with Denver and they have home court advantage going into tonight's game. Damian Lillard is a huge reason this team is so good and I was very happy to pull him. Go Blazers!
BREAKDOWN:
42 – Total Cards
15 – Photos Variations
5 – Retired Legends
4 – Draft Day
Ticket
4 – School Colors
4 – Legacy
2 – Base + Photo
Variation Pulls
1 – Blue Foil
1 – Draft Ticket
1 – College
Ticket Autograph
