This post contains affiliate links. Affilate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network. The site may earn a commission when affiliate link clicks result in a purchase. Read the full disclosure here.

2020-21 Panini Prizm Basketball (Plus Draft Picks Review)

Buy 2020-21 Panini Prizm Basketball Draft Hobby Box on eBay!

2020-21 Panini Prizm Basketball

 

 

Panini Prizm is always a favorite amongst collectors, and the 2020-21 Panini Prizm Basketball set will be no different. And now that it has FINALLY arrived, we’re excited to take a look at some of the hottest cards that have been pulled so far.

Delayed as it may have been, it was certainly worth the wait. So let’s get ready to take a look at the best cards available from this iconic collection. In addition to the 2020-21 Panini Prizm Basketball preview, we’ll also provide a brief overview of the latest Panini Prizm Draft Picks collection. Now let’s find out what we’re working with!

 

 

Related: Check out our list of the most valuable basketball cards of the 2000s!

 

 

2020-21 Panini Prizm Basketball: Best Cards So Far

As of right now, it looks like the is living up to the hype. And then some. In fact, we’ve seen quite a few cards sell for over $10,000 already. Rest assured, it’ll only go up from there!

As far as the collection goes, 2020-Panini Prizm Basketball includes a base set of cards that contains 300 of the league’s best players. Additionally, you can always count on Panini to deliver cards featuring the most promising rookies (we’ll get to those in a second!). The design as sleek and stylish as you can see by the sample of the Ja Morant base card directly above. As always, the player remains the main focus complemented by a uniquely patterned background and border. Before the official release of the samples, we speculated but this would be the case and nailed it (self pat on the back).

And keeping with that tradition led us to the conclusion that there will be an extensive, almost endless list of parallels and inserts. We were right again! The last two releases have had two autographed cards on average in each Hobby box and so does the 2020-21 set! In addition to the autographs, you can expect to find 22 Prizms and 10 Inserts per box.

 

LaMelo Ball (Buy on eBay)

Of course, we’ll need to start with Rookie of the Year Favorite LaMelo Ball. At the end of the day, a set is usually only as good as the rookie cards it contains and with a performance like what we’ve seen from LaMelo, things are shaping up nicely. To say the least. You can find a variety of different LaMelos in this set but try to focus on the base card and its different parallels. and don’t forget to keep your eyes peeled for his autograph.

Value-wise this card can range from north of $10,000 to under $500 for the base. If you’re only going to buy one card from this set, this is it. So figure out how much you can afford to spend and add one to your collection ASAP!

 

Anthony Edwards (Buy on eBay)

When LaMelo went down and Edwards started to surge we saw a huge boost to the Anthony Edwards rookie card market. And it’s still alive and well with one of his Gold Prizms selling for $12,000 recently on eBay. And even though a freshly cleared to play LaMelo may steal some of his thunder down the stretch, we’re not at all worried about Edwards going forward. He may not be the triple-double machine that LaMelo has the potential to be but he’s certainly one of the most exciting rookies we’ve seen in quite some time. In other words, this card one of the true gems of the 2020-21 Panini Prizm Basketball collection.

Just like the previous card, this one’s value greatly depends on whether it has an autograph, is a rare Prizm, or if it’s the normal base card. Either way, there’s something for everyone.

 

LeBron James Kobe Dunk Tribute (Buy on eBay)

lebron 2020-21 panini prizm basketball

As far as the veterans go, there isn’t a hotter card than this one. The card features James about to slam down a dunk in tribute to the late great Kobe Bryant. The value of the card depends on which Prizm but so far we’ve seen plenty sell for more than $3,000. However, if you don’t want to lay out thousands try searching for a more common Prizm like the green that should be available for just a few hundred.

 

 

2020-21 Panini Prizm Basketball Autographs, Prizms, & Inserts 

 

Autographs

signature

Players’ autographs are doled out in a number of formats. These include Signatures, Rookie Signatures, and Sensational Signatures. A sample of the latter is shown above. Either way, these will be some of the most valuable cards in the set so hopefully those two (on average) that should fall out of your Hobby Box say LaMelo Ball’s name on them!

 

Inserts & Prizms

First thing’s first, we’re glad to see the famous “Down Town” insert shown above is alive and well! However, right now we’re even more excited about the “Flashback” that features 15 of the top players from the league in front of the original 2012-13 Panini Prizm design that started it all. What can we say, we’re suckers for anything retro. Additionally, you can expect to see “Fearless”, “Fireworks”, and “Widescreen” inserts.

When it comes to Prizms the rarest are the 1/1 Black and /10 Gold parallels that are Hobby Box exclusives. Find one of these and you’ll be in a good spot regardless of who’s on it! In addition to those, there will also Mojo parallel exclusive to the Hobby Box.

 

Hobby Box Confirguration

Speaking of Hobby Boxes, each includes 12 packs with 12 cards per pack. That’s 144 chances to pull that LaMelo Auto! And if you’re REALLY looking to go big you could consider buying an entire case with 12 Hobby Boxes inside. A risky endeavor for certain, but talk about action! And as we said earlier, there are 22 Prizms per Hobby Box along with 2 autographs, and 10 inserts (on average).

 

2020-2021 Panini Prizm Basketball Draft Picks (Buy on eBay)

 

Base and Parallels

base set panini draft picks

This set always pre-empts the regular Panini Prizm Basketball set and starts to cause that annual buzz about all of the new players that are available. The collection features players in their college gear, as it is released before the draft day and is an attempt by Panini to predict some of the new players that will be making an impact for years to come.

The base set contains 80 of the best college prospects that are slated to be available in the draft. When it comes to looks, the majority of the card is taken up by the player.  Additionally, the rest of the design is often dictated by which parallel it is. Here’s a breakdown of the parallels from this year’s set:

Silver, Green, Hyper, Pink Ice, Purple Wave, Red Ice, Red/White/Blue, Ruby Wave, Red #/299, Blue #/199, Purple Ice #/149, Blue Ice #/99, Purple #/75, Orange Pulsar #/49, Green Pulsar #/25, Mojo #/25, Blue Shimmer FOTL #/13, Gold #/10, Black Gold #/5, Black 1/1.

As you can see, the list is in order of increasing rareness. The unnumbered parallels are the most common with the cards getting less common as you hit the numbered ones. Additionally, there are also special boxes, which offer their own range of unique parallels.

 

2020-2021 Panini Prizm Basketball Draft Picks Inserts (Get them on eBay!)

2020-21 panini prizm draft

Every year you can expect to find some incredible inserts in the Panini Prizm Basketball Draft Picks set. When it comes to the 2020-21 release, you can find the Crusade, Global Prospects, Color Blast, and Downtown inserts.

The Crusade inserts include 15 of the most exciting rookies, while the Downtown inserts feature 19 of the best players.

The Color Blast set has become one of the most popular cards in the whole hobby in recent years thanks to its unique design, rareness, and great look. And fortunately, there’s usually a Color Blast insert for the regular set as well.

 

 

Here are a few of the players you can find in the Draft Picks set:

Anthony Edwards – Georgia Bulldogs

James Wiseman – Memphis Tigers

LaMelo Ball – International

Isaac Okoro – Auburn Tigers

Onyeka Okongwu – USC Trojans

Deni Avdija – International

Obi Toppin – Dayton Flyers

Precious Achiuwa – Memphis Tigers

Cole Anthony -North Carolina Tar Heels

 

 

As much as we love the Color Blast and Downtown, we’re most interested in the Global Prospects inserts. These feature the top 5 players in the draft who are not originally from the United States.  Will any of the following players be the next Luka Doncic??

 

 

96 Killian Hayes – International

97 James Wiseman – Memphis Tigers

98 LaMelo Ball – International

99 RJ Hampton – International

100 Deni Avdija – International

 

 

2020-2021 Panini Prizm Basketball Draft Picks Autographs (Buy on eBay)

autographs

Finally, there are also autographed versions of the base card, called Prospect Autographs. These again feature an extensive list of parallels. Here’s a breakdown: Silver, Green, Hyper, Pink Ice, Red Ice, Red #/199, Blue #/149, Purple Ice #/99, Blue Ice #/75, Orange Pulsar #/49, Green Pulsar #/25 (No Hall*), Mojo #/25, Blue Shimmer #/13, Gold #/10, Black Gold #/5, Black 1/1.

 

2020-2021 Panini Prizm Basketball Draft Picks Hobby Box Review

Now that you know so much about the set, you may be thinking about picking up a hobby box. Therefore, the least we can do is offer a quick breakdown of what you can exp[ect to find inside of one!

In each Hobby Box, you’re gonna unwrap 5 autographs, 5 Silver Prizms, and Ten Parraellls. Additionally, you may be lucky enough to find some EXCLUSIVE parallels. These include Gold, Black Gold, Purple Ice and MOJO.

Hobby Box structure: In each 2020-21 Panini Prizm Basketball Draft Picks Hobby Box you’ll receive 40 cards. The cards are separated into 5 different packs with 8 cards in each. As far as prices go, they vary by seller. However, If you’re looking for a basic idea expect to spend somewhere between $200 and $400. Sure, it’s a good chunk of change. BUT, if the right cards pop out of that box, the amount you paid will look like NOTHING compared to the amount you sell the cards for! Good luck!

 

 

Trending Now: Russell Westbrook is closing in on the all-time record for triple-doubles. Might be a good time to grab one of his rookie cards in preparation for the milestone!

 

 

2020-21 Panini Prizm Basketball Investment Strategies

2020-21 Panini Prizm Basketball

 

Short (less than 1 year)

We like this idea simply because a set like Panini Prizm ALWAYS generates plenty of hype. Therefore, if you get in early you should have a great chance to flip them for a nice gain.

 

Medium/Long

These strategies greatly depend on the player who’s on the card. If you find one with either a player who’s on the rise or a solidified star, both of these options would be appropriate. One thing you won’t have to worry about is whether or not there will be a market for a card with the Panini Prizm label.

 

 

Need Something While You Wait For 2020-21 Panini Prizm Basketball?

 

2020 Panini Prizm Football Review

LaMelo Ball Rookie Card Investment Guide

Trevor Lawrence Rookie Card First Look