2022-23 Bowman’s Best University Basketball is set to release on June 28th and is pre-ordering for $110, so is this affordable basketball product worth the risk?
In this article, we’ll break down the product details and what we know about Bowman U thus far to help you decide if this is a rip, a hold or a pass.
Here’s what we know.
This is the first year of 2022/23 Bowman University’s Best Basketball, and it follows two other Bowman U releases: Bowman U Inception (multisport) and Bowman U Chrome Basketball, both of which we reviewed.
While these are still prospect cards, they’ve definitely made some improvements over the Bowman U cards of the past. For one, the cards are now licensed, meaning they can feature the college mascots, logos, and team names.
While college cards are never going to be better than NBA cards, these do at least look 10x better than last year’s version.
This product also, of course, includes autographs of Victor Wembanyama in his Mets92 jersey., and Caitlin Clark — we were lucky enough to hit a Clark auto /99 in a Bowman Chrome U break that we recently posted on YouTube.
But now, after two Bowman U releases following the same mold, let’s get real. It’s time for a tough conversation.
While we don’t have the checklist out yet, there’s been a trend in the previous Bowman U releases: Victor Wembanyama has not been featured on base cards or any of the autograph sets beside a base auto parallel.
Or, in other words, Topps is leaning into the “first chance to pull a Wemby auto” aspect, but you’re almost equally likely to get struck by lightning (somewhat hyperbolic, maybe, but you get the point).
It almost feels like Topps has a very finite number of Wemby sticker autos and wants to stretch that appeal to as many brands as possible. And maybe in the long run that will be a good thing—limiting population—but for people opening the boxes right now, it’s tough.
If that’s the case for this Bowman’s Best checklist when it’s unveiled, check your expectations before buying this product.
Bowman’s Best University Basketball should be a decently long rip: 12 packs of 5 cards. That lands right in the middle of the 24-pack Chrome and the 1-pack Inception products that have led.
What’s in each box? Per Topps, expect to find
And a note on the release year: in the future when we’re looking back on this product, it might be a bit confusing that this is the Wemby year. Most basketball fans know 2003-04 to be the LeBron rookie year, and in the same way, 2023-24 could become an iconic Wemby rookie year. Just bear that in mind since this is a 2022-23 product.
Topps is back to blessing the game with stated odds on basketball products, so we know the inserts and how rare they are.
Here’s the list:
Again, it will be interesting to see whether or not Wembanyama ends up on any of these cards, or even a base card.
And speaking of base cards, here’s a look at the colors you can pull:
The Autograph parallels look like this:
There are some cool multi-autos, too. The autograph sets are as follows:
Bowman’s Best University basketball is in its inaugural year, but it shouldn’t be a good long-term investment.
Here’s why.
When flanked by Bowman Chrome U and the multisport Bowman Inception that happens to be loaded with prospects in football, too, Bowman’s Best is (ironically) the least attractive option. And if I didn’t recommend either of those products for long-term holds, I’m not going to endorse this one.
The truth is, college cards don’t age well. And while the Wemby rookie auto card is actually technically a licensed professional autograph, the very long-shot odds of pulling any Wemby card out of this product will hurt it over time.
The first year of Bowman Chrome U basketball was released at $200 and now sells for about $50. The second year has Wemby, so it probably won’t lose 75% of its value, but it’s not fair to expect it to increase, either.
The same logic should translate to Bowman’s Best, but the one catch is this: at just $109/box, it could be a fun rip.
There’s a 0.1% chance that when Fanatics becomes the NBA-licensed cards and takes over from Panini, somehow these Bowman 1st cards become very collectible, like Bowman baseball, and prospect cards are suddenly worth vast sums of money.
Don’t count on it. My gut (and the dismal performance from autos in the previous year of this product) tells me that Bowman’s Best basketball is a stay-away for long-term rookie investing, too.
While I wouldn’t count on hitting a monster Wemby auto, this box might be the most attractive basketball rip in a long time because of the combination of price and potential.
It’s $110 and you get 60 cards. If you really wanted to sell them all, it would be hard to lose too much money even if you largely strick out.
If you’re lucky enough to hit a nice Wemby, it could be life-changing. If not, you’re probably going to recoup half your investment. But if you can live with that and want a little rush, ripping a box might actually be the best move.
What do you think of this product? What will it be worth in 5 years? Let us know on Twitter @card_lines and sign up for our free newsletter right here.
Stay tuned – checklist coming soon.
Is this Caitlin Clark's best rookie card? (Plus Topps Update SSPs!)
Sealed blaster box of 2022 MLB Topps Chrome Platinum Anniversary.
Sealed Blaster Box of 2022 Topps MLB Baseball Update Series.
Sealed blaster box of 2023 Topps Stadium Club.
Sealed box of 2019 Topps MLB Baseball Series 2 Hobby Box. 1 autograph or relic card guaranteed. Great rookie class.
Sealed Box of 2021 Panini Prizm Baseball Cello. 12 packs per box, 18 cards per pack.
© Copyright 2024 - All rights reserved Cardlines.com / Media Techs LLC - Sports Card News, Reviews, Releases and BREAKS - #thehobby.
Important: When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.