Reid's Rips: 2025-26 NBA Hoops Basketball Blaster Box Review
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A blaster box seemed to be the right (and safe) choice at the moment. So, I dug into each of the seven packs, each containing eight cards, to get a taste. Of course, the carrot dangling is the Hoops Hyper Signatures, but we aren't getting our Hoops hopes up that high. Let's just pull a Flagg or two.
The Rip
After I ripped into my first pack, I was immediately surprised by the total Hoops upgrade. Every card has a nice foil finish, which makes the set look and feel more mid-level compared to the basics of Hoops past. (No offense) This is definitely a nice upgrade from the straight paper product collectors have come to expect from the basketball powerhouse.
The highlight of my first pack was a Derik Queen rookie card. The Pelicans' rookie looked like a versatile beast at times, especially when he was taking it to my home team, the 76ers. He averaged 11 points, more than seven boards, and three-plus assists per game in a solid rookie showing. If he were a Vee Friends character, you could name him Promising Pelican. I'll be here all week.
(Ed. Note: Try the veal, folks)
The next pack featured a Hard Wired insert of Ace Bailey. This cartoonish-looking backdrop, and I say that in a positive fashion, shows Bailey in the foreground, getting ready to throw down a two-handed dunk. At one point, Bailey looked to be one of the biggest stars of the draft. Although he hasn't lived up to those lofty expectations in a packed rookie room, he averaged nearly 14 points per game in 72 games for the Jazz. A fun card of a kid with a bright future.
Keeping with the unique and thoughtful inserts, I pulled an Asa Newell The Buzz insert with bumblebees swarming the card and a magazine-style headline. Newell is throwing a behind-the-back pass with a big smile on his face. The 6-foot 10-inch power forward played sparingly this year, only starting two games for the Hawks and barely playing half of the team's games.
The rookie parade continued in my next pack, with a retail-exclusive green parallel of New Orleans Pelican rookie Jeremiah Fears. The 19-year-old University of Oklahoma product averaged over 14 points per game playing in all 82 of the Pelicans contests.
In the next pack, I pulled an eye-catching Light Burst SP of New York Knicks forward OG Anunoby. Even with an all foil checklist, this card really stood out in the pack.
After a hot start, there was nothing spectacular in my next pack. The best card would have been the green foil parallel of Brooklyn Nets forward Cam Thomas. Pictured as a Net, Thomas finished his season with the Bucks.
We ended the box with some last-pack magic and a fast break dunk. As I ripped into it, the first card I saw was Cooper Flagg's base rookie card staring back at me. Flagg is pictured viciously throwing down a two-handed dunk, showcasing his already trademark intensity. The Flagg base market is right around $35-40 after early sales.
That was a very fun way to close out this value box. For right around $30, these are well worth the gamble.
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Tony Reid spent more than a decade covering combat sports at the highest level. He has written hundreds of articles and conducted hundreds of interviews about sports collectibles for such publications as Beckett, Sports Collectors Digest, and Sports Collectors Daily. Reid worked full time at a sports card shop in Central Pennsylvania for a number of years. A lifelong collector, Tony treasures his rookie card collection of star players in baseball, basketball, and football. If you want to discuss the greatness of Michael Jordan, Bo Jackson or Ken Griffey Jr., you can reach him at @tonyreidwrites on all social media platforms