Panini America Inks Exclusive Autograph Trading Card And Memorabilia Deal With Projected Lottery Pick Trae Young

IRVING, Texas, June 18, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Panini America, the world's largest sports and entertainment collectibles company, and the exclusive trading card and collectible sticker partner of the National Basketball Association (NBA), announced today that it has reached an exclusive autograph trading card memorabilia agreement with All-American point guard Trae Young (@TraeYoung), the former University of Oklahoma standout and projected top-10 pick in this week's 2018 NBA Draft.

Young, who led the nation in both scoring (27.4 ppg) and assists (8.8 apg) during a spectacular freshman season with the Sooners, will be a featured attraction in all of Panini America's 2018-19 collegiate and NBA trading card products, beginning with 2018 Contenders Draft Picks Basketball in late August and 2018-19 NBA Hoops Basketball in late October. Young's Rookie Cards and autograph cards will be available exclusively in licensed Panini America products; Young also will appear in NBA Dunk, the company's digital trading card app. But Young's first officially licensed NBA Rookie Card will be available on Thursday night just minutes after he is selected through the Panini Instant on-demand trading card platform.   

In addition, Young's autographed memorabilia will be available exclusively through Panini Authentic, Panini America's memorabilia division that also includes exclusive athletes such as Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, Leonard Fournette, Andrew Luck and more.

"We're excited to welcome Trae Young as the newest exclusive member of the Panini America family," said Panini America CEO Mark Warsop. "Trae is one of the most exciting young players in all of basketball and he will absolutely be a major driver for our NBA trading card products for all of 2018-19 and beyond. We'll work closely with him to deliver trading card and memorabilia offerings that appeal to fans and collectors in a major way."

ABOUT PANINI:
The Panini Group, established more than 50 years ago in Modena, Italy, has subsidiaries throughout Europe, Latin America and the United States.  Panini is the world leader in officially licensed collectibles and is the most significant publisher of collectibles in the U.S., with official licenses for NFL, NFLPA, NBA, MLBPA, NHL, NHLPA, College, FIFA, MLBPA, Disney, and other key properties from many other licensors. Panini is also the exclusive trading card and sticker partner of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and Pop Warner Little Scholars, Inc. Panini has distribution channels in more than 100 countries and employs a staff of over 800. For more information visit us at www.paniniamerica.net, www.paninigroup.com or http://blog.paniniamerica.net/. You can also follow Panini America on social media platforms Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram.

Media Contact:  
Tracy Hackler, Panini America
214-552-3475
[email protected]

SOURCE Panini America