After its 1989-90 debut, NBA Hoops returned in 1990-91 with a larger set. Most of this increase occurred in Series II, which grew by 52 cards. Part of that increase is due to the appearance of the eleven lottery draft picks, including this #391 Gary Payton. These cards are very important because 1990-91 marks one of the first times that current-year rookies could be found in a basketball card set. There were occasional exceptions earlier, but the norm was waiting…think of the other rookies from 1990-91 like Shawn Kemp, Tim Hardaway or Glen Rice. All played in the 1989-90 season and collectors waited for the ’90-91 cards to get the rookies. But with the introduction of the lottery picks, Hoops and Skybox really made a statement. That same year, Fleer did not include current-year rookies in their base set, instead opting to include them in a factory update set.
These cards were set apart design-wise in many ways. The gold “1990 Lottery Pick” icon, the addition of “1990 NBA Draft” to the gray background, and the simple, text-centered reverse are a few ways that these cards stood out from the rest of the set. The eleven lottery picks appear in order, with Gary Payton being the second card in this subset, because he was the second pick in the draft. The image is very unique. Payton’s in a suit, with a Supersonics hat and phone (the design of which you’ll never see nowadays). The reverse focuses on his time at Oregon State mentioning facts such as setting the school record for scoring with 2,172 points. The card was overproduced and is not very valuable, but it’s one of the most distinctive cards of 1990-91 and a great addition to a collection!
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