That big name in the NBA has his first cardboard already.

No, not Commissioner Adam Silver -- though he has a few new options here -- it's No. 1 draft pick Zion Williamson, the big-scoring, shoe-splitting Duke star who was taken by the New Orleans Pelicans last night.

Panini Instant cards for a number of draft picks are available now.

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The Blowout Cards Forums are where thousands of collectors converge daily to discuss, well, a little bit of everything. Here are a few threads about collecting and more that you should check out right now.

What's Buzzing Today: NBA Draft chatter, MLB and NFL pulls, inside a Justin Verlander collection, The National and a "controversial baseball take."

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What: 2018-19 Panini Contenders Optic basketball cards
Arrives: July 31
Box basics: One autograph per six-card box (20 boxes per case via two inners)
Order: Click here (live soon)

What's buzz-worthy: Contenders Optic takes the court for the first time with plenty of color, some rare inclusions and plenty of big names from this year's rookie crop as well as looks at stars from the past and present.

Keep reading for more info and a gallery of images.

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The Blowout Cards Forums are where thousands of collectors converge daily to discuss, well, a little bit of everything. Here are a few threads about collecting and more that you should check out right now.

What's Buzzing Today: Investing in pitchers, MLB breaks, new Museum Collection pulls, NBA retail tip, The National and a strong Stranger Things case break.

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What: 2019 Panini NBA Champions Toronto Raptors Collection Box Set
Arrives: July 12
Box basics: 30 cards per set (20 boxes per case)
Order: Click here (live soon)

What's buzz-worthy: The new NBA champs are getting their own commemorative box set with some members of the team getting their very first basketball cards in this release.

Keep reading for more info about what's to come.

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The Blowout Cards Forums are where thousands of collectors converge daily to discuss, well, a little bit of everything. Here are a few threads about collecting and more that you should check out right now.

What's Buzzing Today: Anthony Davis, MLB breaks, board thanks, pondering future demand for BGS 9.5 and PSA 10 cardboard and more in today's edition.

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The Blowout Cards Forums are where thousands of collectors converge daily to discuss, well, a little bit of everything. Here are a few threads about collecting and more that you should check out right now.

What's Buzzing Today: Yordan Alvarez, The National, 2019 Topps Series 2 pulls, NBA breaks and more in today's edition.

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The Blowout Cards Forums are where thousands of collectors converge daily to discuss, well, a little bit of everything. Here are a few threads about collecting and more that you should check out right now.

What's Buzzing Today: The Toronto Raptors win it all, Shohei Ohtani hits for the cycle, The National, supply and demand and big pulls in today's edition.

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A Duke star has signed with Panini America in advance of the NBA Draft.

All-American R.J. Barrett, who is projected to be among the top picks in next week's draft, has signed an exclusive card agreement revealed today. His first in-pack cards will arrive in 2019 Contenders Draft Picks and then in 2019-20 NBA Hoops in October. He will make his debut via Panini Instant after he is drafted.

“With an athlete like R.J. Barrett, we were determined to target an initial partnership with a group who recognizes how special he is,” said Robert Kinnard, Executive Director of Global Marketing for BDA Sports, in a prepared statement. “Panini is a giant in the trading card and memorabilia industry and it is satisfying to see their shared vision as evidenced by their commitment to the influence R.J.’s brand will have on the marketplace.”

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The Blowout Cards Forums are where thousands of collectors converge daily to discuss, well, a little bit of everything. Here are a few threads about collecting and more that you should check out right now.

What's Buzzing Today: The National, remembering first hits pulled, important grading discussions, Yordan Alvarez, 2019 Topps Series 2 and other big pulls in today's edition.

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What: 2018-19 Panini Encased basketball cards
Arrives: July 17
Box basics: Two autographs (one graded) and two memorabilia cards per five-card box (eight boxes per case)
Order: Click here (when available)

What's buzz-worthy: Encased hits the hardwood for another season with plenty of ink from stars of the past and present.

Keep reading for more info and a gallery of what's to come.

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The Blowout Cards Forums are where thousands of collectors converge daily to discuss, well, a little bit of everything. Here are a few threads about collecting and more that you should check out right now.

What's Buzzing Today: Big pulls, The National, Bowman Mega Box breaks, a Topps Total busting marathon, eBay Bucks and more.

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The Blowout Cards Forums are where thousands of collectors converge daily to discuss, well, a little bit of everything. Here are a few threads about collecting and more that you should check out right now.

What's Buzzing Today: Yordan Alvarez gets the call, a massive oldschool wax haul for $150, a huge Bowman blaster pull, The National and plenty more in today's edition.

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The Blowout Cards Forums are where thousands of collectors converge daily to discuss, well, a little bit of everything. Here are a few threads about collecting and more that you should check out right now.

What's Buzzing Today: Box-break madness -- Mega Boxes and more -- along with non-sports breaks, a cool find, The National and more in today's edition.

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Buzz buys and busts a lot of boxes right here for Buzz Breaks, but one of my goals just might be to rip fewer blasters this year and talk more about cardboard that I -- and you -- might like. One way to do that? Simple show and tell -- present a few pick-ups and say why they captured my attention. Would they capture yours? I'd be interested to know -- sometimes they might, sometimes they won't and that's fine. It's a buyer's market out there with plenty of options and bargains as well as high-end gems to chase.

So, with all that said, here are a few Buzz Buys ... and this time around there are a dozen weird, cheap or interesting cards.

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BEFORE THE NBA CAREER ... 
The Card: LeBron James 2003 Sports Illustrated For Kids #264 (BGS 9)
The Price: $11
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: There was a time when this was a popular card in the hobby -- maybe not Tiger Woods SI For Kids big, but popular. What is it? It's a card pulled from a perforated sheet in an issue of the kids' magazine, something it has done since the 1980s, showcasing countless big-name athletes and many others who don't have much -- or any -- cardboard. Everybody knows how much hype there was for James back then -- and his first cardboard from SAGE was huge -- but this one was one of only a few options until his NBA cardboard arrival on Rookie Cards (and plenty more) on 2003-04 releases. Ultimately all those early cards don't command as much interest as NBA stuff, but I liked the look and price on this one for a slab -- especially when you consider higher-graded cards can push $50-100 and 10s can be quite big at auction even today ... at least for a card found in a magazine.
Grab a box right here: No boxes for this one ... click here for NBA boxes

Keep reading for five more interesting items ...

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The Blowout Cards Forums are where thousands of collectors converge daily to discuss, well, a little bit of everything. Here are a few threads about collecting and more that you should check out right now.

What's Buzzing Today: Austin Meadows, The National, grading discussions, Game of Thrones breaks, big pulls and collecting musician autographs.

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The Blowout Cards Forums are where thousands of collectors converge daily to discuss, well, a little bit of everything. Here are a few threads about collecting and more that you should check out right now.

What's Buzzing Today: PSA addresses card-trimming allegations, big NBA and MLB pulls, the end of a player collection, The National and more.

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The Blowout Cards Forums are where thousands of collectors converge daily to discuss, well, a little bit of everything. Here are a few threads about collecting and more that you should check out right now.

What's Buzzing Today: Good baseball discussions, Bowman Mega Boxes deliver big, The National and old "Refractors won't spoil."

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The Blowout Cards Forums are where thousands of collectors converge daily to discuss, well, a little bit of everything. Here are a few threads about collecting and more that you should check out right now.

What's Buzzing Today: Bowman Mega Box bulk breaks, bargain bin heat, big Heritage pulls, The National and more in today's edition.

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Like many collectors, Buzz is a fan of grading and knows that there are many reasons that collectors choose to slab cards. Sometimes it's to enhance the appeal and protect them when selling. Other times it's to protect an investment for the long-term or to protect for sentimental reasons. Or, it might be just for fun or curiosity about a potential grade.

Here's this month's grading diary here on The Buzz ... a super-sized edition this time around that's heavy on MLB and NBA but with a few surprises.

The Cards: 1991-92 SkyBox #544-546 Team USA puzzle
The Reason Graded: I picked up a box of this one for roughly $16 late last year (a bargain price) and pulled two sets of these puzzles, which was good. Why? Because grading these and the other notables from the iconic Hall of Famer-loaded Dream Team is pretty heavy and this one has been on my to-do list. I landed most of the notables more than once but just one Jordan that was noticeably off-centered. These glossed cards on the puzzle could have issues that the standard cards don't have simply because of their surfaces, but mine were clean. I will revisit my second set to see if anything stands out. I may go the PSA route on the other set for variety's sake if I see anything that would make me wonder about potential grades.
The Grades: BGS 9.5

Reality Check: This one was a stressful one as I had hoped for matching grades. Thankfully, that's what I got and that's where most cards land for all three pieces of the puzzle. This is a textbook example of the kind of cardboard that can make you some money with grading, too, as they're no more than $10 total raw, while BGS 9.5s together should top $100 in some cases and asking prices for the middle (Jordan) card alone can be steep. It's memorable cardboard from the past with nothing but iconic players involved, so there's still good demand -- and that's another reason why I slabbed. Wax boxes aren't all that plentiful, either, compared to other boxes around that time.

Keep reading for the rest of this month's new grades and additions.

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The Blowout Cards Forums are where thousands of collectors converge daily to discuss, well, a little bit of everything. Here are a few threads about collecting and more that you should check out right now.

What's Buzzing Today: Definitive delivers, Luka Doncic's autograph evolution, Bowman Mega Boxes, alleged card-trimming, The National and more.

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One of the possible top picks in this year's NBA Draft has a new team already.

He's former Murray State star Ja Morant and he's signed an exclusive autograph card and memorabilia deal with Panini America. He's perhaps going to be a top-five pick next month and his first autographed items will be available via Panini Authentic after the draft.

“I’m very excited to join the Panini America family as an exclusive member of the team along with some of the greatest names in the game,” Morant said in a prepared release. “I dreamed of having my own trading card to share with family, friends and fans, and Panini America is helping make that dream come true. I’m appreciative of that and look forward to a long relationship.”

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The Blowout Cards Forums are where thousands of collectors converge daily to discuss, well, a little bit of everything. Here are a few threads about collecting and more that you should check out right now.

What's Buzzing Today: Peter Alonso, Bowman Mega Box breaks in bulk, Game of Thrones, NBA, The National and more.

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What: 2018-19 Panini Chronicles basketball cards
Arrives: June 28
Box basics: Three autographs per six-pack box (12 boxes per case)
Order: Click here (live soon)

What's buzz-worthy: Panini once again gives us cards from a number of designs/brands from the recent past and present all in one place.

Keep reading for more info and a gallery of images.

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The Blowout Cards Forums are where thousands of collectors converge daily to discuss, well, a little bit of everything. Here are a few threads about collecting and more that you should check out right now.

What's Buzzing Today: Nothing but breaks highlights, including 50 -- yes, 50 -- Bowman Mega Boxes.

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