By Chris Olds | Beckett Basketball Editor

You can be in the NBA’s Starting 5 by heading to a sports card shop in December.

A joint program through the NBA and its lone trading card licensee, Panini America, the NBA Starting 5 begins today and will allow collectors who pick up Panini cards at participating hobby shops the chance to get some exclusive cards, autographs, win prizes and maybe even get a VIP trip to the 2013 NBA Rookie Photo Shoot.

There will be an 18-card set made specifically for the promotion, and they will be distributed in packs available at more than 250 hobby shops around the country.

Five players are noted each week as starters and collectors who collect each card while buying in a hobby shop will receive a pack of Starting 5 cards. Some packs will include autographs and there may be a contest card inside as well good for shirts, memorabilia or trips such as one to the NBA All-Star Game.

Below are the players and a gallery of some cards made for the program.

Starting Five for Dec.1-8
Kyrie Irving
Brandon Knight
Harrison Barnes
Thomas Robinson
Austin Rivers

Dec. 9-15
Anthony Davis
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist
Derrick Williams
Jared Sullinger
Andre Drummond

Dec. 16-22
John Henson
Bradley Beal
Dion Waiters
Kawhi Leonard
Iman Shumpert

Dec. 23-29
Kobe Bryant
Blake Griffin
Kevin Durant
Blake Griffin (from packs of 2011-12 Limited)
Kevin Durant (from packs of 2011-12 Gold Standard)

Chris Olds is the editor of Beckett Baseball magazine. Have a comment, question or idea? Send an email to him at colds@beckett.com. Follow him on Twitter by clicking here.