Exquisite | Capsule Collection
Exquisite | Capsule Collection
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December 17, 02:09 AM GMT
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Description
Beckett Grading Services, BGS, 8.5 Near Mint-Mint+, sealed plastic holder, Cert number: 0007302729
Cardboard, Cloth, and Plastic
On June 4, 2004, the world of sports cards changed forever. On this date, Upper Deck released the first year of Exquisite Collection Basketball. Released at what was then the jaw-dropping price of $500 for five cards, 20-years on this product line continues to be a byword for excellence in high-end trading cards.
The crossover between what would become perhaps the single most premier product in the hobby and the entry of one of its most transformational stars into the NBA was no coincidence. The creator of Exquisite Collection, Karvin Cheung, had been looking for the right player to serve as the centerpiece for a new high-end set that would feature highly-limited rookie patch autographs. Cheung has cited the moment he saw LeBron James on the cover of Sports Illustrated in February 2002, under the headline “Chosen One”, as the moment that he knew he had his player. What followed was history: in its time, Exquisite Collection Basketball has seen records tumble and captured worldwide fascination, becoming the cornerstone of many of the most important trading card collections and earning a place on the Mount Rushmore of trading card sets for many enthusiasts.
The 2004-05 product introduced dual logoman autographs and triple logoman cards in Exquisite. Collectors understood that many of the best cards available each season for their favorite NBA rookies, stars, and legends would be found in Exquisite. In the decades since, NBA fans have come to expect just as much excellence from the product as they would from its standard-bearer.
Much like the great athletes depicted in its checklists, Exquisite Collection continues to influence the trading card space today.
The headliners of the 2003 NBA draft, this unmatched game-used triple logoman is the ultimate homage to the trio that held both the game and culture of basketball in their hands.
Combined, these three account for an astounding 43 trips to the All-Star game and 34 All-NBA nominations. Each earned the title of being the league’s scoring champ at some point in their career and have since been honored as part of the NBA’s 75th Anniversary team. The trio was recently brought back to the forefront with the 2022 Netflix documentary “The Redeem Team” that followed the 2008 Beijing Olympic team that helped introduce these three as international superstars.
This 1-of-1 commemorates the 2007-08 season in which James, Anthony, and Wade were at the center of the action. LeBron led the NBA in scoring, his only such campaign to date, while eras began and ended in Denver and Miami as Allen Iverson joined Carmelo for their first full season together and Dwyane Wade played for the last time alongside Shaquille O’Neal and under the guidance of Pat Riley. That February, All-Star Weekend brought them all to New Orleans as starters for the 2008 NBA All-Star Game, a contest in which LeBron took home MVP honors after recording 27 points, 8 rebounds, and 9 assists in a 134-128 victory.
The card presented here is a true 1-of-1 as it stands as the only such triple logoman featuring James, Wade, and Anthony to ever be produced. This card has been authenticated and deemed to be in Near Mint-Mint+ condition, receiving a grade of 8.5 from Beckett Grading Services (BGS). The front of the card features three game-worn NBA logoman patches and a "1/1" stamp to emphasize its unduplicated nature.
The BGS certificate number for this card is: 0007302729.
Going Deeper - The “Banana Boat Crew”
In the summer of 2015, a blurry picture of some of the greatest players on the planet sent the NBA rumor mill into an unfettered frenzy.
As much as a cast of legendary talents came to define basketball through the 2010’s, so did the growing trend of superteams. Starting most notably with the Boston Celtics “Big Three” formed in advance of the 2007-08 season, franchises such as the Brooklyn Nets, Golden State Warriors, and Los Angeles Clippers have followed suit, albeit to varying degrees of success.
Following his time on his first superteam with the Miami Heat, LeBron James returned back home to Cleveland to attempt to deliver the franchise its first title by joining a star-studded core that included Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love. After a stressful first season that saw the Cavaliers fall to the Warriors in the NBA Finals, he took a vacation with a few lifelong friends and perhaps inadvertently nearly set the league ablaze.
All four of James, Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony, and Chris Paul have spent much of their careers together at the height of the basketball world. Through trips across the country and world to the Olympics, FIBA World Cup, and countless All Star weekends, a bond was formed between these era-defining athletes. Naturally, that kinship brought the group’s families together and offered a rather unique opportunity.
“We were trying to build something that has never been done with four of the top guys coming together…and like really be brothers, hang out off the court,” Anthony said in a podcast interview years later. “We are going to try to kill each other on the court, but it’s too stressful what we go through, so let’s go on vacation.”
During the group’s trip to the Bahamas, an extravagant venture on a $30 million yacht, a picture was taken of James, Paul, Wade, and actress Gabrielle Union, Wade’s wife, on an inflatable banana boat. The image, while endearingly goofy for four mega stars of this stature, was taken by many as a threat to the league. Rumors sprang from the release of the photo and were hardly tempered by the state of the NBA at the time, this type of team up had been proven to be possible.
Ultimately, despite rumors that would persist for years, the four-man superteam would never come to fruition. LeBron would win a title with his All-Star bunch in Cleveland before forming another championship super duo with Anthony Davis in Los Angeles. Yet, before retiring each of them would spend at least some portion of time with another member of the group before the end of their career.
In 2019, during the final game of Wade’s career, it was Anthony, James, and Paul sitting courtside cheering him on. “Listen, we couldn’t miss D-Wade’s last game,” said James. “This is the last time he’s going to be on an NBA floor wearing that Miami Heat uniform, that No. 3, so we’re happy to be here to support.” A few years later, the foursome would reunite during the NBA’s 75th Anniversary celebration with the league officially recognizing the group on social media: “From teens to legends, a brotherhood!”