TTM Success - Dave Gambee

A couple weeks ago, when Jesse and I went up to High Point, we stopped in at the LCS in Winston-Salem.  They had some boxes to search in the middle of the shop, and I found a few vintage basketball cards that I decided to pick up and send out for TTMs.  This 1970-71 Topps of Dave Gambee was the first one to come back.

Gambee (b. 1937) played professionally from 1959 to 1970 for the Hawks (St. Louis), Royals (Cincinnati), Nationals (Syracuse), 76ers, Rockets (San Diego), Bucks, Pistons and Warriors (San Francisco).  Gambee was a good lesson for me in former basketball team names.  I never knew Syracuse had an NBA team; I also didn't know the Hawks used to be in St. Louis, Cincinnati had a team, or that the Rockets were once in San Diego.  That's one of the many things I like about these vintage cards from other sports leagues.

Gambee had 7,935 total points in his career.  He won the NBA championship in 1966-67 with the 76ers.

I mailed to Gambee on May 6 and got the card back on May 17, for an 11-day TAT. 

A Gift From Jesse - James Worthy Signed Photo

My good friend, Jesse, got this signed photo of James Worthy for me recently when he and his Paw Paw Benny met Worthy at a signing at Dick's Sporting Goods.

Worthy (b. 1961) played in the NBA from 1982 to 1994 for the Lakers.  He was the first overall pick in the 1982 Draft out of UNC, where he won the NCAA Championship in 1982.  He was a 7-time All Star (1986 to 1992) and NBA Champion in 1985, 1987 and 1988. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2003.

Thank you so much for the signed photo Jesse and Paw Paw Benny!

TTM Success - Robert Parish

There aren't many basketball cards in my autograph albums, but some do exist in there.  I was able to move a few basketball cards from the boxes I got from my former LCS with this TTM success from Robert Parish.

Parish (b. 1953) played in the NBA from the 1976-1977 season to the 1996-1997 season for the Golden State Warriors, Boston Celtics, Charlotte Hornets and Chicago Bulls.  He played in 1,611 games and scored a total of 23,334 points.  He was an All Star 9 times and won the NBA Championship 4 times (1980-81, 1983-84 and 1985-86 with the Celtics and 1996-97 with the Bulls).  He was elected to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2003.

I mailed to Parish on April 20 and got the cards back on June 4, for a 45-day TAT.

2021 National Trade Night Signer - PJ Washington

This year, Trade Night was a bit different.  It was slam packed, but it turned out to be a lot of fun regardless.  It was arranged by the host, Kentuckybasketballcards (on Instagram), that Charlotte Hornets player, PJ Washington would be signing at Trade Night.  The line to get Washington stretched around the room, but Andrew and I were able to get him.  Andrew found 4 awesome cards, and gave me two of them.  Washington signed both in bronze Sharpie.  It looks better than the scan shows, really.

Washington (b. 1998) was drafted with the 12th overall pick by the Hornets out of the University of Kentucky.  He has played for the Hornets for two seasons from 2019 to 2021.  He has 38% 3-point percentage and 49% 2-point percentage and a total of 1,534 total points aver those two seasons.

TTM Success - Larry Nance

I was able to send TTM to a former basketball player that I actually knew personally years ago.  Larry Nance used to own a Pro Modified drag car that ran against my dad for years.  I got to know Larry at the race track, and he was always nice.  He has since stepped away from racing, but not before he, himself, raced for a few years.  When I saw he was signing TTM, I made sure to find a card that I could send.  I found this 1989 NBA Hoops All Star card, and sent it on its way.

Nance (b. 1959) played in the NBA from 1981 to 1994 for the Phoenix Suns and Cleveland Cavaliers.  He had 6,370 field goals (100th all-time) (6,362 of which were 2-pointers, and 8 three-pointers); his 6,362 2-point field goals are 81st all-time).  He also had 2,027 blocks (21st all-time) and 7,352 total rebounds (92nd all-time).  Nance played his college ball at Clemson.

I mailed to Nance on November 16 and got the card back signed on November 30, for a 14-day TAT.  I wrote him a full-page letter, and was hoping he would write back, but he didn't.  I'm sure he was busy, but it would have been cool if he had remembered me.

TTM Success - Dirk Nowitzki

I'm not an NBA fan by any means, but a while back, I ordered something off of Ebay, and the seller added a bunch of basketball cards as filler to my package.  One of those cards was this Dirk Nowitzki, and I had seen some folks get him TTM.  So, I sent it off and waited for it to come back.  It finally did, but the signature wasn't too great.  It's there and all, but it would have been nice if it were better.  Oh well.

Nowitzki (b. 1978) has played in the NBA since 1998 for the Dallas Mavericks.  He is a 13-time ALl Star and won the NBA championship in the 2010-2011 season.  He has scored a total of 31,275 points in his career and was the NBA MVP in the 2006-2007 season.  I don't know a whole lot about basketball, but I imagine he will be a Hall of Famer at some point, for sure.

I mailed to Nowitzki on September 29 and got the card back signed on January 19, for an 111-day TAT.