Love the art cards from the 1990’s

Cedric Maxwell got the nickname “Cornbread” during his college days at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte (UNC Charlotte). The nickname came from a teammate who thought Maxwell resembled the character Cornbread in the 1975 movie Cornbread, Earl and Me. The character, played by actor Jamaal Wilkes (credited as Keith Wilkes), was a talented and beloved high school basketball player.

Maxwell reportedly didn’t like the nickname at first, but it stuck — especially after a standout performance in the 1976 NCAA Tournament that brought national attention to him and the Charlotte 49ers. From that point on, “Cornbread” became part of his public persona and followed him into his NBA career with the Boston Celtics.

Top 3 favorite Celtic of all time

If you look at Dennis Johnson’s stats, they aren’t all together too impressive. But people who watched basketball in the late 70s throughout the 80s, and especially Celtics fans, knew the type of floor general and leader and point guard Dennis Johnson was. He was a great coach as well - and although the PSA 5 grade doesn’t quite make sense, it doesn’t really matter to me. It’s the autograph that makes this card.

Of all the years of Topps Chrome, I think the 2008 set is the most interesting and distinctive looking. Clearly, LeBron chalk toss and the Kobe Bryant with LeBron guarding him are some of the keys to the set. Russel Westbrooks rookie and a few other key cards are in the set as well. The Xfactors checkerboard look made these really pop. I was able to pick up a few of the Xfactors before the Covid boom of 2020. The Kevin Garnett jersey pop is such a cool picture.