The list of rookies who have entered the league since the turn of the century with as much hype as Zion Williamson is awfully short. Save for LeBron James and perhaps Anthony Davis, Williamson has generated more excitement than any rookie in recent memory, to the point that the New Orleans Pelicans are a dark horse to make the playoffs in the cutthroat Western Conference despite trading Davis this past offseason.
Williamson is a marketer’s dream, an explosive, high-flying big man with a huge personality and a cool name that can be plastered all over stuff for the next decade-plus. He’s already agreed to the most lucrative rookie sneaker contract of all time with Jordan Brand, and now, Williamson and Panini America came to terms on an exclusive trading card agreement.
To go along with the announcement, Panini dropped a trio of cards, all of which include Williamson’s signature.
“I’m truly excited to be a member of the Panini family, a company that continues to raise the bar in terms of content and creativity in the trading card arena,” Williamson said in a release. “I look forward to working closely with the team there to create basketball cards that my fans and card collectors will want not just throughout my rookie season in the NBA but throughout my entire career.”
