One-Sheet Collections: 1995-96 Seattle Supersonics
The One-Sheet Collections idea is a simple concept with infinite possibilities. Take a single nine-pocket sheet and a reasonable $100 budget, and build a nine-card collection with a unifying theme.
This week, we look back at the 1995-96 Seattle Supersonics, who went 64-18 during the regular season and beat the Sacramento Kings, Houston Rockets and Utah Jazz in the postseason before losing to Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls in six games in the NBA Finals.
Point guard Gary Payton and power forward Shawn Kemp were one of the most exciting duos in basketball during that time, and they each earned All-Star selections while leading the Sonics to the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference.
Ahead we’ve selected one card to highlight each of the nine players in Seattle’s primary rotation that year.
1990-91 Fleer Update #U92 Gary Payton RC ($10.00)
The No. 2 overall pick in the 1990 NBA draft, Payton spent the first 12 1/2 seasons of his Hall of Fame career running the point for the Sonics. He averaged 19.3 points, 7.5 assists and a career-high 2.9 steals per game during the 1995-96 season, earning his third of what would be nine career All-Star selections and taking home Defensive Player of the Year honors.
While “The Glove” has Rookie Cards in the 1990-91 Hoops and SkyBox base sets, it’s his inclusion in the 1990-91 Fleer Update set that stands as his most valuable.
1987-88 Fleer #75 Nate McMillan RC ($2.50)
McMillan spent his entire 12-year NBA career playing with the Sonics, and two years after his retirement he served as the team’s head coach for another five years before moving on to stops in Portland, Indiana and now Atlanta. A role player on the 1995-96 team, he averaged 5.0 points and 3.6 assists serving as Payton’s backup.
His only Rookie Card is in 1987-88 Fleer Basketball. His long tenure as a head coach has helped boost its value over the years.
1989-90 Hoops #137 Hersey Hawkins RC ($0.40)
Hawkins played for the 76ers and Hornets for seven seasons before he was traded to the Sonics prior to the 1995-96 season in exchange for Kendall Gill. The 29-year-old averaged 15.6 points per game and led the team with 146 made threes, connecting at a respectable 38.4 percent clip from deep.
Chosen No. 6 overall in the 1988 draft, he has Rookie Cards in both 1989-90 Fleer and Hoops. A couple bucks is enough to pick up both of them.
1991-92 Upper Deck #410 Vincent Askew RC ($0.10)
A 6’6″ shooting guard who spent time with the 76ers, Warriors, Kings and also had stints in Italy and the CBA, Askew finally found a regular rotation role when the Sonics acquired him from Sacramento for a second-round pick in 1992. During the 1995-96 season, he tallied 8.4 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game in a career-high 25.0 minutes of action.
Despite being taken in the second round of the 1987 draft, Askew didn’t have his first basketball card until four years later with rookies 1991-92 Fleer, Hoops and Upper Deck Basketball.
1987-88 Fleer #97 Detlef Schrempf RC ($10.00)
A matchup nightmare at 6’10” with range that stretched beyond the arc, Schrempf was the perfect perimeter complement to the Sonics one-two punch of Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp. He was in his third season with the Sonics and 11th NBA season total during the 1995-96 campaign, and he averaged 17.1 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.4 assists while shooting 40.8 percent from deep.
His Rookie Card could have easily been included in the iconic 1986-87 Fleer set as that was already his third NBA season, but instead he had to wait until the following year. That helps keep the price affordable relative to what it might have been if released a year earlier in the iconic release.
1990-91 Fleer #178 Shawn Kemp RC ($3.00)
The Sonics leading scorer during the 1995-96 season, Kemp averaged 19.6 points, 11.4 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game as one of the most explosive players in the league. He also made his fourth of what would be six straight All-Star appearances that year.
The high-flying power forward was the No. 17 overall pick in the 1989 draft. The values of his Rookie Cards in the 1990-91 Fleer, Hoops and SkyBox sets is modest as they were released at the peak of mass-production in the hobby.
1986-87 Fleer #86 Sam Perkins RC ($10.00)
A first-time All-American in college who played alongside Michael Jordan and James Worthy at North Carolina, Perkins carved out a 17-year NBA career as a secondary scorer with a versatile skill-set and a 6’9″, 235-pound frame. Playing primarily off the bench during the 1995-96 season, he averaged 11.8 points and 4.5 rebounds at the age of 34.
His lone Rookie Card is featured in the 1986-87 Fleer Basketball set where he is easily lost in the shuffle amongst Michael Jordan, Hakeem Olajuwon, Charles Barkley, Karl Malone, Clyde Drexler, Isiah Thomas, Dominique Wilkins and several others.
1993-94 Finest #71 Ervin Johnson RC ($1.50)
A 6’11”, 245-pound post player who was the No. 23 overall pick in the 1993 draft, Johnson started 60 games for the Sonics during the 1995-96 season as the team’s primary center. He averaged a modest 5.5 points and 5.3 rebounds in 18.8 minutes of action per game, but led the team with 129 blocks.
He has nine different Rookie Cards scattered across a variety of 1993-94 products. Finest is an easy choice as the best of the bunch.
1988-89 Fleer #103 Frank Brickowski RC ($0.50)
Signed prior to the 1995-96 season to replace Bill Cartwright as Seattle’s backup center, Brickowski was a 6’9″, 240-pound center who also played for the Sonics during the 1984-85 and 1985-86 seasons. The 36-year-old averaged 5.4 points and 2.4 rebounds in 15.7 minutes per contest.
As is the case with so many players who debuted in the 1980s, he only has one Rookie Card. His is in 1988-89 Fleer Basketball.
Total: $38.00
Love these articles, such a great idea!