March Premium Auction Ending April 3, 5 & 6
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 4/5/2021
Graded GEM MINT 9.5 by BGS. Rookie Card. The 2019-20 NBA Rookie of the Year Ja Morant stars on this mesmerizing Panini Purple and Gold Snakeskin collectible. With the tragedy of Kobe Bryant’s passing, the 18-time All-Star left quite a few cards that were contracted to be autographed. To solve this problem, Panini issued limited edition Kobe cards with other players as the central focus, thus creating this incredibly desirable Morant offering. The card evokes a stunning tribute to Kobe Bryant with its intricately detailed snakeskin design, shouting out Kobe’s indelible “Black Mamba” persona.
Morant, a lifelong Bryant fan and Nike athlete, frequently performs his work on the hardwood while wearing Bryant’s line of signature sneakers, with the former Murray State guard favoring classics such as the Nike Kobe 4 and Nike Kobe 9 Elite in multiple rare and player exclusive colorways. Morant’s choice of footwear has paid off in his young career, as the Memphis talisman scored 17.8 points, with 7.3 assists per game, to handily win the NBA Rookie of the Year award in his inaugural season. An explosive scorer, Morant set a career-high with 44 points in the 2020-21 season opener against the San Antonio Spurs.
The rise of Morant, from his days as an unheralded recruit at Murray State to the superb beginning to his NBA career, is rapidly elevating the incendiary point guard to a superstar echelon. The card’s BGS condition report: Centering: 9, Corners: 10, Edges: 10, Surface: 9.5. The limited-edition piece is serial-numbered “20/20.” This Morant offering has a population of two cards graded by Beckett, with none issued a higher grade by the experts at BGS. An incredibly unique and scarce rookie-year collectible, in awe-inspiring Gem Mint condition.