Panini hit it out of the park with these game used Bill Russell tribute patch cards. I see in the new Panini silhouettes there are some of these tribute patch cards in that set as well, but the design isn’t as crisp as this. This perfectly displays in the center of the card the game used patch with the player that wore the patch on the left and Russell on the right. Yes, I wish that Porziņģis was still on the Celtics, or at least in the Celtics uniform for this card, but I’m still thrilled to have this as part of my collection. It memorializes the championship, banner That he brought to the Celtics before being traded.

One of my favorite Marshall Faulk cards is this game-used dual Flawless Greats patch auto. He was one of the top 3-5 all-around offensive pass-catching RBs the NFL has ever seen. He was pure electric on the field, first with Peyton Manning and later with Kurt Warner and the “Greatest Show on Turf” and the Rams.

As any Celtics fan remembers, IT4 brought magic to Boston for a couple years. His run to take this team deep into the playoffs with a high scoring output and clutch game-winning shots was unparalleedl. In fact, for a guard of the size it was incredible to watch! He finished fourth in the MVP voting that year. I still feel bad that he never got his giant payday due to injuries and was unceremoniously traded in the off-season. However, it was likely the right move for the team at the time. Still, I’ll always remember what he did for this city of Boston as a Celtics fan. He doesn’t have too many, really great high-end cards with game used patches, so when these Flawless patch autos come up for sale, they typically go for a significant premium. I’m happy to finally be able to secure one in my collection to memorialize that season.

David Robinson just shows up to play basketball. He’s one of the good guys of basketball. He was in the United States Navy and took the San Antonio Spurs to multiple titles. He was incredible to watch and really knew the fundamentals of the game as a big man. This is a beautiful, game-used letter “R” from a San Antonio Spurs jersey from a high-end brand in Flawless. Still such good deals to be had on players like this in today’s NBA market.

I grew up in Indianapolis and actually got to play basketball with Reggie Miller in the early 90s. I was in college and grad school when they had their great 1990s teams. It was really amazing, hardnose basketball. Especially games and playoff series against the Knicks, Michael Jordan, and the Bulls, and Detroit Pistons. Reggie was one of the NBA all-time best pure shooters and his rare signed cards are so highly collectible, especially because he doesn’t sign too much these days. This is a beautiful, flawless, game-used, super chunky patch that I’m thrilled to have this part of my collection.