For those who are looking especially closely, they may notice something different on the jerseys of three players for the upcoming NBA season.
The jerseys of the 2024-25 Kia NBA Most Valuable Player, Kia Rookie of the Year, and Kia Defensive Player of the Year will feature a gold logo patch on the back. So that means this program will see Shai-Gilgeous Alexander, Evan Mobley, and Stephon Castle as the only three NBA players to wear the “Gold Logoman” on the back of their jerseys this season.
These patches, like the 1-of-1 rookie card from Cooper Flagg, will later be inserted into Topps trading cards. Topps did something similar in MLB with Shohei Ohtani, Aaron Judge, Tarik Skubal, Chris Sale, Paul Skenes, and Luis Gil this year.
Topps hasn’t announced yet how the Debut Patches and Gold Logoman Patches will be released.
“Beginning with the 1-of-1 Topps Rookie Debut Patch Autograph cards and limited-edition Gold NBA Logoman Patch cards, we are constantly iterating on innovative and interactive ways with which we can deliver new and unique card formats,” said Fanatics Collectibles CEO Mike Mahan. “These then become collectibles to chase, cherish, and provide the current generation of fans and collectors with excitement.”
This program will be implanted in the NBA for the foreseeable future now that Topps replaced Panini as the official trading card licensor for the league.
Topps, acquired by Fanatics in 2022, was last the official trading card licensor for the NBA in 2009-10.