[briankort]

Well I think it is obvious why people collect Jordan, Kobe, Lebron, Durant etc. But there are a few guys on here that collect what some would consider unusual players.

I am talking about players like

Mitch Richmond
Jamal Mashburn
Clarence Weatherspoon
Michael Olowakandi
Trajan Langdon

Now don't get me wrong, I am not saying there is anything wrong with collecting these guys. For one it is a whole lot cheaper as a hobby. I am just curious why you picked them whether they are from your home town, a college you like or you just started collecting them years ago when you were a kid and never looked back. Tell us your story.

[TBarn291]

I know I collect some players that could be considered unusual (Olowokandi, Bill Walton, Jerry Stackhouse etc..) My favorite position is Center and I have always been a fan of the Big Men. My all time favorite player is of course Shaq and when Olowokandi was the #1 pick Shaq was currently playing for Lakers, Olowokandi went to Clippers both were jersey #34. So I just got on an L.A. kick. But at that point in time Olowokandi was pretty popular and there were several people collecting him. Now a days I have hardly any competition on his cards and like you said low prices on the hard to find stuff makes collecting a lot easier. To be honest I am not really a fan of his playing just liked his character.

[aarhart1985]

Very cool thread!I think the 90's has such an awesome crop of players to choose from not to mention the cards from that era!!! Penny has quite a few collectors but not as much as you would think!? I know he is probably more common than everyone you listed but figured I would comment.

I have collected Penny since I was just 11 yrs old towards the end of his ROOKIE season.I looked through my album and noticed i had several cards of him so started to follow him and watch him play and was blown away by how talented/gifted he was on the court! Also always seemed like a great person off the court which can be hard to find in a professional athlete.I stuck with him through the GREAT/BAD (injuries) Took a break from the hobby for a few years around 2002-2006 but never parted with my collection.Since getting back into the hobby around 2007 I have added some amazing cards.

[buckunteer]

Haha I love that Mitch Richmond was the first on that list, thanks Brian!

When I was a kid, I collected MJ, like most of us, but every time I pulled a Mitch, I was excited too, albeit to a lesser extent. I played basketball too and actually modeled my game after Mitch Richmond because I wasn't as fast as MJ haha. I shoot the ball well from the outside, can drive but prefer to get around one defender and then pull up before I get to the big guys and shoot floaters and mid-range jumpers.

I just loved how smooth his offensive game was and felt like he was always underappreciated as a player. And now that I've returned to the hobby, it is nice to be able to pick up great-looking, rare cards for a reasonable price as compared to MJ.

There's my two cents

[hof collector 15]

The reason I collect Glenn Robinson is because I graduated from Purdue as well. But I didn't collect him at first. I didn't start until about 2002 when his career was basically over and I pulled an auto of him and slowly started from there. I also collect Carl Landry and for the same reason he graduated from Purdue.

[ryancholden]

I actually am really new to basketball. I always considered myself purely a baseball guy. Ventura was my favorite player growing up (yes, even though I took a load of crap from my friends in 6th grade after Nolan Ryan beat his face in!), followed by The Big Hurt. After getting back into collecting last year, no single player really jumped out at me, so I concentrated on Ventura and Thomas.

I think Andrew Luck is the real deal... and I've been a moderate Colts fan since I was a kid. Just seemed to make sense to throw him in the mix.

Basketball is funny. Since MJ left the bulls (the 2nd time), I've not really followed the NBA. But now that my son is playing hoop, I have a new found interest. My wife grew up in Indy, and we go to the Brickyard every year, so I knew I wanted to follow the lowly, 2nd tier city Pacers...and Paul George is straight dope. As his swagger grows (ala DRose), he's going to be scary good.

[hof collector 15]

As a Hoosier I think you made some pretty good choices. I use to collect Granger but gave up on that but yeah Paul George is a beast.

[ryancholden]

As a Hoosier I think you made some pretty good choices. I use to collect Granger but gave up on that but yeah Paul George is a beast.

I live in Iowa...Hawks football is as close as we have to pro sports. There are tons of teams around us, but it's tough to have a meaningful connection. My wife grew up in Columbus, IN and we love going there to visit (Indy, Nashville and Brown County State Park in particular). Love me some Hoosier!

[taffster74]

Being an Aussie, you'd expect me to collect the Aussie players who made it to the NBA (Longley, Mark Bradtke [10 day contracts in 1993/94], Shane Heal, Chris Anstey, David Andersen, Andrew Bogut, Nathan Jawai, Patrick Mills), right? Wrong. I started collecting just sets alone back in 1994/95 but found i had plenty of Ewing's and collected him for his affordability and his character (both on and off-court). I started collecting Jalen Rose simply because he's a lefty like me and collected Garnett because of what it said on the first RC card of his i pulled (Collector's choice) - "has an inside game reminiscent of Patrick Ewing." Detlef schrempf - my ex-fiancee was german. Mario bennett - someone suggested him. John Wallace - knicks draft pick (ditto for Charlie Ward). Lamarcus aldridge - new generation big man who I had a few cards for. Jeff Green - Georgetown hoya who wasn't a center and was affordable. Lamond Murray - had enough cards of his. Patrick Mills because he's the first Australian Aboriginal to be drafted by an NBA team, to sign with an NBA Team and to play in the NBA. Nathan Jawai does not count as he is a Torres Strait Islander - two different peoples.

[will23c1982]

I enjoy researching and reading about the history of the game. What I established quite quickly was that the players in the NBA's golden era (1950s and 1960s) played with much more respect than they do today. It wasn't about show-boating or money. It was about the love of the game.

Bill Russell epitomised that attitude perfectly.

I was able to get hold of matching Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain Exquisite Extra jumbo jersey cards. Since then, my Russell collection has grown and I've now spent nearly 4 times as much on Russell cards than I have on any other player.

However, in the same way that Russell preferred championships to individual statistics, I'm keen to collect quality over quantity.