NBA Draft Prospects Score Trading Card Deal

Panini America has secured exclusive trading card agreements with the NBA’s top five draft prospects. These are the first player endorsement deals for the company since teaming up with the NBA in January. Blake Griffin (Oklahoma), Tyler Hansbrough (UNC), Jordan Hill (Arizona), Brandon Jennings (Lottomatica Virtus Roma, Italy) and Hasheem Thabeet (UCONN) will all be featured on 2009-2010 Panini NBA card products, as well as select packaging and advertisements. Exclusive autograph cards from the five players will also be included in Panini’s first line of NBA products.

Prestige, the company’s first rookie card line, will hit stores in October 2009. The cards will include the five prospects in uniforms of the NBA teams that selected them in the 2009 NBA Draft presented by EA Sports.

“Rookies are a key part of the trading card business and we’re excited that fans will have the opportunity to receive autographed cards of these great players exclusively in Panini packs,” says Mike Eisenstein, chief executive officer of Panini America. “As we look forward to beginning our first year as the NBA’s exclusive trading card partner, it was important for us to build around great basketball players and great people. We feel strongly that these five will make a positive impact both on and off the court.”

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