2003-04 Upper Deck Legends Basketball

2003-04 Upper Deck Legends Basketball: 270-card regular set, issued June 21, 2004. Five cards are inserted per pack. The regular set features 90 Regular Player (Current) cards, 90 Regular Player (Legend) cards, 45 Rookie Impressions cards and 45 Rookie Impressions-Throwback cards. Insert cards include: Legendary Signatures, Legendary Inscriptions, Signs of a Future Legend, Championship Numbers, Championship Teammates-Dual, Championship Teammates-Triple, Rookie Impressions Dual Autograph, Rookie Impressions Dual Autograph-Throwback, Hall of Fame Induction Inks and three versions of NBA Draft Redemptions- Regular, Throwback and Rainbow (the cards on each level will be numbered as part of the regular set).

Back in 1991, the Upper Deck Company created its first line of basketball cards - fittingly, 100 years after the game of basketball was invented. Thirteen years later, Upper Deck continues to salute this fantastic sport with exciting trading card releases.

The latest basketball product from the leading sports and entertainment card publisher is 2003-04 Upper Deck Legends Basketball. A unique trading card release, Legends Basketball showcases players from the past, present and future.

"While rookies obviously get basketball collectors excited each year, the fan following for current stars like LeBron James as well as for the players of yesteryear remains strong," said Karvin Cheung, Upper Deck Basketball Product Manager. "Knowing this, we wanted to build an all-encompassing product, one that features a wide range of players - greats of the past, current stars and through redemption, future heroes. We're extremely proud of the result - 2003-04 Upper Deck Legends Basketball."

To begin with, collectors will be ecstatic to learn that Upper Deck has included 2004 NBA Draft Redemption Trade cards of 15 2004 NBA draft picks in 2003-04 Legends Basketball. The trade cards, which have two variations (Throwback version, numbered to 100; Rainbow version, numbered to 25) are inserted one per box on average, enabling collectors to trade for corresponding cards of the top players selected in the 2004 NBA Draft!

The regular set of Upper Deck Legends Basketball - which is making its return after a one-year hiatus - is comprised of 270 cards. Collectors will notice, however, that the set numbers to 135. This is because the product has two versions of regular player cards and two versions of 2003-04 rookie cards. The regular player cards for 90 current players and those for 90 Legends are each numbered 1-90. The 45 Rookie Impressions and 45 Rookie Impressions-Throwbacks cards are each numbered 91-135.

The Rookie Impressions cards, which are highlighted by 2003-04 rookie standouts LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony and Dwyane Wade, are divided into two levels. Level 2 cards consist of 35 players with sequential numbering to 1,999. Level 1 cards feature 10 players and have crash numbering to 999. Meanwhile, all 45 of the Rookie Impressions-Throwbacks cards possess crash numbering to 100!

Upper Deck Legends' insert card lineup is dominated by incredible autograph cards. In fact, the product delivers two signature cards per box, on average! Legendary Signatures leads the way, with autographed cards of players like Michael Jordan, David Robinson and Larry Bird. The Signs of a Future Legend insert showcases autographs from young NBA stars like LeBron James, Amar� Stoudemire, Carmelo Anthony and 2004 NBA Finals MVP, Chauncey Billups!

Moving into the arena of rare autograph card inserts, Upper Deck Legends Basketball offers Legendary Inscriptions, cards that are numbered to 100 and feature special inscriptions from the highlighted players. The names "Dr. J" (Julius Erving), "Skywalker" (David Thompson) and "Iceman" (George Gervin) will certainly bring back special memories for basketball fans.

Similarly, the Championship Numbers and Championship Teammates (Dual and Triple) autograph inserts recall the achievements of players with specific NBA championship teams. The Championship Numbers cards are sequentially numbered to the player's jersey number or the decade of a championship while the Championship Teammates combo signature cards feature numbering to 25 (Dual versions) and 5 (Triple versions). Find any one of these cards and you'll be instantly transported to the glory days of teams and players such as the Celtics (Larry Bird), Lakers (Magic Johnson), Pistons (Isiah Thomas) and Bulls (Michael Jordan)!

Also randomly inserted are Rookie Impressions dual autograph cards. These combo signature cards, which have regular and retro variations each numbered to 25, showcase a 2003-04 rookie with an established star. Pairings include LeBron James/Michael Jordan and Carmelo Anthony/Tracy McGrady.

Finally, Upper Deck offers a tribute to the 2003-04 Hall of Fame Induction class with 2003-04 Hall of Fame Induction Inks, special randomly inserted autographed cards that salute the latest inductee class: Robert Parish, James Worthy, Meadowlark Lemon, Earl Lloyd, Dino Meneghin and Leon Barmore.

Upper Deck's 2003-04 Legends Basketball hits stores this month with a suggested retail price of $4.99 per pack. Additional descriptions for this product follow below:

PRODUCT BREAKDOWN

2004 NBA Draft Redemption Trade cards (Regular, Throwback (sequentially numbered to 100) and Rainbow variations (sequentially numbered to 25), inserted 1:box overall, on average) - These trade cards are redeemable for cards featuring top 2004 NBA Draft picks.

Regular Player cards (Current players) - Enjoy cards that combine outstanding photography and statistical information on 90 active NBA stars, from 2003-04 NBA MVP Kevin Garnett to scoring king Tracy McGrady.

Regular Player cards (Legends) - Take a trip back in time and recall the careers of 90 NBA legends, from the sensational Bob Cousy to Portland and Houston star Clyde Drexler.

Rookie Impressions cards - Level 2 (sequentially numbered to 1,999, Throwback variations numbered to 100) - This subset salutes 35 talented members of the 2003-04 NBA rookie class.

Rookie Impressions cards - Level 1 (sequentially numbered to 999, Throwback variations numbered to 100) - This subset pays tribute to a select group of 2003-04 NBA rookies.

Legendary Signatures cards - This extraordinary autograph card insert set highlights many of the NBA's most memorable stars, like Michael Jordan, Julius Erving, Bill Russell and Magic Johnson to name a few.

Signs of a Future Legend cards - Some of the NBA's best young talents are showcased in this autograph card lineup, including LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony and Yao Ming!

Legendary Inscriptions cards (sequentially numbered to 100) - This unique autograph card insert spotlights basketball greats and their memorable nicknames. Here you'll find guys like Zeke (Isiah Thomas), Iceman (George Gervin) and Magic (Earvin Johnson).

Championship Numbers cards (sequentially numbered to jersey number or decade of championship) - Revisit NBA championship moments with autograph cards from players that were keys to championships past. Players include Michael Jordan (Chicago Bulls), David Robinson (San Antonio Spurs) and Larry Bird (Boston Celtics).

Championship Teammates cards (Dual combos sequentially numbered to 25, Triple combos sequentially numbered to 5) - Whether it's a card featuring the tremendous Boston Celtics duo of Bob Cousy and Bill Russell or the Los Angeles Lakers' triple threat of James Worthy, Magic Johnson and Michael Cooper, you'll get a winning feeling when you find a dual or triple combo Championship Teammates autograph card!

Rookie Impressions Dual Autograph cards (Regular and Retro versions each sequentially numbered to 25) - The 2003-04 NBA season will be remembered for the accomplishments of several rookies such as LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony and Dwyane Wade. These dual autograph cards pair the first-year phenoms with a comparable star, such as James and Michael Jordan!

2003-04 Hall of Fame Induction Inks cards - As the Basketball Hall of Fame welcomes a new induction class, Upper Deck pays tribute to the six contributors honored in 2004 - Robert Parish, James Worthy, Meadowlark Lemon, Earl Lloyd, Dino Meneghin and Leon Barmore - with this autograph card insert.

Source: The Upper Deck Co, LLC
Date: June 23, 2004

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