2023-24 Panini Contenders Basketball

This is Panini's final basketball release before losing the NBA license, and it matters because Contenders has always been about lottery ticket autos on rookie cards. The 2023-24 edition landed right in the sweet spot of the Paolo Banchero, Jabari Smith Jr., and Paolo Banchero sophomore class hitting their stride, plus a deep rookie class that included Anthony Black and Donovan Clingan. You're getting a product heavy on autographed Rookie Ticket parallels and insert sets, with the design focused on that classic Contenders look: clean borders and premium paper stock. Since this was Panini's swan song in the NBA space, there's some nostalgia baked in for collectors who've been riding with the brand for years. The real chase here is Rookie Tickets with autographs, especially in the higher-end parallel tiers like Cracked Ice and Printing Plates. Panini separated Contenders into different box configurations, with Hobby boxes landing around 2-3 hits per box, mostly autos. You want to target the top-tier rookies like Banchero, Smith, and Clingan when they land in serial-numbered parallels under 99 copies. Look for Die-Cut versions and the scarce Black parallel versions, which have serious scarcity. Insert sets like Elite Tickets and Veteran Tickets exist too, but the rookie autos are what move the needle. Retail boxes exist but carry fewer guaranteed hits compared to hobby. Buy singles if you're targeting specific players or parallels. Ripping Contenders is fun for the adrenaline, but you're fighting odds on those low-numbered parallels. For Banchero or Smith holdouts, the secondary market will give you better odds of landing what you actually want at a reasonable price. This set has legs because it's the last of its kind from Panini, so nostalgia will keep interest steady among long-time collectors even as the market settles.