Kobe is one of the best ever to do it. 5 championships, 30k+ points and counting, 6k+ assists, and one of the most killer instincts the game has ever seen.

I collect pretty much any Kobe cards, but I tend to lean toward colourful inserts from the late 90s and early 2000s. The cards you'll see posted here are my favourite ones, which tend to be the most valuable ones, as well as some of the funkier designs that aren't so valuable.

So, in no particular order, I give you the Black Mamba:

1998-99 Flair Showcase TakeIt2.net: The name of the card is either a genius pun or horribly lame, depending on how much you enjoy puns. Regardless, this circuit board style design is great. — **1998-99 Flair Showcase TakeIt2.net:** The name of the card is either a genius pun or horribly lame, depending on how much you enjoy puns. Regardless, this circuit board style design is great.

**Kobe 1997-98 Ultra Court Masters Kobe Bryant.**

1998-99 Skybox Premium That's Jam: The fact that this card exists is hilarious. There is nothing particularly exciting about jam, and the effort they made to actually make it look like a jam label is impressive. Multiple people had to sign off … — **1998-99 Skybox Premium That's Jam:** The fact that this card exists is hilarious. There is nothing particularly exciting about jam, and the effort they made to actually make it look like a jam label is impressive. Multiple people had to sign off on this design for it to get produced. Amazing. The colours are striking, the concept is totally unique, and it just makes for a great card all around.

1996-97 Topps Finest Rookie Card Kobe Bryant: This is the first Topps Finest Kobe card. It is the start of an incredible series of cards from Finest. — **1996-97 Topps Finest Rookie Card Kobe Bryant:** This is the first Topps Finest Kobe card. It is the start of an incredible series of cards from Finest.

1996-97 Topps Finest Series 2 Kobe Bryant: Maybe my favourite Kobe card. I badly want the refractor of this bad boy. — **1996-97 Topps Finest Series 2 Kobe Bryant:** Maybe my favourite Kobe card. I badly want the refractor of this bad boy.

1999-00 Sage Gold Autograph Kobe Bryant: This is maybe the most valuable card in my collection. There are only twenty-five of these cards in existence, and this is a fantastic specimen. Sharp corners and a clean auto. Not the nicest style, but … — **1999-00 Sage Gold Autograph Kobe Bryant:** This is maybe the most valuable card in my collection. There are only twenty-five of these cards in existence, and this is a fantastic specimen. Sharp corners and a clean auto. Not the nicest style, but the great autograph and exclusivity makes this a prized card.

**1998-99 Topps Roundball Royalty Kobe Bryant.**

**1999-00 Fleer Force Operation Invasion Kobe Bryant.**

1998-99 Skybox E-X Century Dunk 'N' Go Nuts: This is another one to file under the "Who came up with this idea?" heading.Did the people at Dunkin' Donuts approach the card company? Did the card designer think it was a funny parody? Skybox certa… — **1998-99 Skybox E-X Century Dunk 'N' Go Nuts:** This is another one to file under the "Who came up with this idea?" heading.Did the people at Dunkin' Donuts approach the card company? Did the card designer think it was a funny parody? Skybox certainly seemed to have a sense of humour with some of its designs, and it makes for a fun insert.

**1996-97 Flair Showcase Row 1 Seat 31 Kobe Bryant.**

**1996-97 Flair Showcase Class of '96 Kobe Bryant.**

**1997-98 Metal Universe Titanium Kobe Bryant.**

**1997-98 Topps Generations Kobe Bryant.**

**1997-98 Ultra Star Power Plus Kobe Bryant.**

**1997-98 Topps Finest #232 Kobe Bryant.**

**1997-98 Topps Finest Embossed #232 Kobe Bryant**

1997-98 Topps Finest #137 Kobe Bryant: I don't know if there's a Topps Finest Kobe card that I don't like. This picture is kinda weak, but it's a gorgeous card. — **1997-98 Topps Finest #137 Kobe Bryant:** I don't know if there's a Topps Finest Kobe card that I don't like. This picture is kinda weak, but it's a gorgeous card.

1998-99 NBA Hoops Bams Proof Kobe Bryant: This is a short-printed set, with only 250 cards produced. This is a true rarity for a set from the 90s. However, making this particular card even more rare, is the fact that it is a proof car… — **1998-99 NBA Hoops Bams Proof Kobe Bryant:** This is a short-printed set, with only 250 cards produced. This is a true rarity for a set from the 90s. However, making this particular card even *more* rare, is the fact that it is a proof card. You may notice that there is a hole punched in the top of the card. See the explanation below the photo of the card's reverse ---->

1998-99 NBA Hoops Bams Proof Kobe Bryant Reverse: See where it says, "of 250"? If this were a regular card, it would say, "7 of 250" or "183 of 250", etc. However, you can see that no number is printed before the "of". That is because this card… — **1998-99 NBA Hoops Bams Proof Kobe Bryant Reverse:** See where it says, "of 250"? If this were a regular card, it would say, "7 of 250" or "183 of 250", etc. However, you can see that no number is printed before the "of". That is because this card is a "proof", printed to make sure that the machine is producing the cards correctly. Then a hole is punched in it to make sure that this is not confused for one of the *actual* set of 250 cards. That means that this card is literally, truly one of a kind. With the book value of a properly printed card at $350, I'd value this card much much higher. It's literally the only one in existence.

**1997-98 Fleer Thrill Seekers Kobe Bryant.**

1998-99 Topps Apparitions Kobe Bryant: This is the exact type of card I look to collect. Bright, interesting style, early career... Fun stuff. — **1998-99 Topps Apparitions Kobe Bryant:** This is the exact type of card I look to collect. Bright, interesting style, early career... Fun stuff.

1996-97 Skybox Premium New Edition Kobe Bryant: This is maybe one of my favourite Kobe cards. Nothing screams 90s more than this. — **1996-97 Skybox Premium New Edition Kobe Bryant:** This is maybe one of my favourite Kobe cards. Nothing screams 90s more than this.

**1998-99 Topps East/West Kobe Bryant & Michael Jordan**

2004-05 E-Xl Essential Credentials Future Kobe Bryant: This card is a nice parallel, numbered to just 106. — **2004-05 E-Xl Essential Credentials Future Kobe Bryant:** This card is a nice parallel, numbered to just 106.

**1998-99 Skybox Thunder Lift Off Kobe Bryant**

**1996-97 Bowman's Best Kobe Bryant Rookie Card**

**1998-99 Fleer Brilliants Shining Lights**

1999 Collector's Edge Game Ball Kobe Bryant: Interestingly, you can tell that Collector's Edge doesn't have a license to print proper cards, because they can't show the Lakers logo. There is a bit of game-used ball embedded in this card.