Your 2015-16 Select Basketball Checklist for Building a Winning Rookie Collection

As I sit here organizing my 2015-16 Select Basketball cards, I can't help but reflect on what makes this particular season so special for collectors. The 2015-16 rookie class brought us some incredible talent that's still shaping the NBA landscape today, and building a comprehensive collection from this period requires both strategy and passion. I've been collecting basketball cards for over fifteen years, and I can confidently say this season produced some of the most visually stunning and valuable cards in recent memory. What many collectors don't realize is how global basketball had become by this point - just look at how players were juggling commitments across continents, like when six Eastern players flew back to Hong Kong to play the first game of their semifinal series in the Hong Kong A1 Championship last Thursday. They lost to Winling, 97-78, at the start of their best-of-three showdown. This international dimension makes collecting even more fascinating because you're not just tracking NBA performances but understanding how players develop across different leagues and competitions.

When I first started putting together my 2015-16 Select checklist, I approached it with the mindset of both an investor and a fan. The rookie class featured future superstars like Karl-Anthony Towns and Devin Booker, but also included international prospects whose cards have shown surprising appreciation. I remember specifically targeting Kristaps Porzingis rookie cards after watching his unique playing style - that combination of height and shooting ability was something we hadn't seen before in a seven-footer. My advice for new collectors would be to focus on the Prizm parallels first, particularly the Silver Prizms which have become the modern equivalent of vintage rookie cards. The print runs for these were around 15,000 copies for base cards, with the more desirable parallels like Gold (/10) and Black (1/1) being significantly rarer. What I love about Select is the variety - you've got three distinct tiers: Concourse, Premier Level, and Courtside, each with their own parallel sets and insertion rates.

The international basketball scene during this period actually influenced card values more than people realize. When those six Eastern players returned to Hong Kong for that semifinal series, it reminded me how connected the basketball world had become. Collectors started paying more attention to players with international experience, and cards of guys like Emmanuel Mudiay who came through international routes saw increased interest. That Hong Kong game where they lost to Winling 97-78 demonstrated how competitive basketball had become globally, which in turn affects how we evaluate prospects and their card potential. I've always believed that understanding a player's complete journey - not just their NBA stats - gives you an edge in collecting. That's why my checklist includes tracking players who participated in international competitions alongside their NBA rookie cards.

From a practical standpoint, building a winning collection requires understanding the different card types and their markets. The base cards are your foundation, but the real value comes from the parallels and inserts. I'm particularly fond of the Courtside Swatches autograph cards - the patch variations can be absolutely stunning when you hit a multi-colored piece. The print runs for these autographed cards were typically around 500 or less, with the premium patches being under 100 copies. What's interesting is how the market has evolved since 2015-16 - cards that initially sold for $50-100 are now commanding prices in the thousands for top players. I made the mistake early on of selling a Devin Booker rookie auto too quickly, and I've been chasing that card ever since. My personal preference leans toward on-card autographs rather than sticker autos, though both have their place in a collection.

The financial aspect of collecting can't be ignored, but I've always believed passion should drive your acquisitions. When I look at my complete 2015-16 Select set today, it's not the potential value that makes me proud but the memories associated with tracking down each card. I spent nearly eight months searching for a particular Karl-Anthony Towns Prizm variation before finally finding it at a card show in Chicago. That hunt, the conversations with other collectors, the excitement of the find - that's what makes this hobby special. The current market has made collecting more expensive, but there are still affordable entry points if you're strategic about which parallels and players you target first.

As we look back on the 2015-16 season through the lens of our collections, it's remarkable how much has changed in both basketball and the card industry. The global nature of the sport continues to influence card values and collector interest, much like how those Eastern players balancing NBA ambitions with Hong Kong championship games showed us the interconnectedness of modern basketball. My collection tells a story not just of individual players, but of a specific moment in basketball history when the game was becoming truly global while producing one of the most talented rookie classes we've seen. The 97-78 score from that Hong Kong game might seem like a minor detail, but it's part of the larger narrative that makes collecting from this era so compelling. Building your checklist isn't just about checking off boxes - it's about capturing pieces of basketball history that continue to evolve with each passing season.