It was during this season that I discovered the sport of basketball, when my mom brought home a pack of 1995-96 Fleer series 2 from our local grocery store. She had been a fan of the game, and figured I would enjoy it as well; she figured this would be a good way to get me into it. Boy, was she right!

It was the final day of the regular season, and I had no idea who anyone was...but I soon began to add more and more cards to my collection, and I would collect regularly for a decade.

Each company introduced a new brand during the season, Fleer added the Metal brand, which was always one of my favorites. Topps added Gallery, which was Topps' first real "premium" effort, and Upper Deck added a third brand to the SP line- SPx. The first true "Super Premium" set, the cards came one per pack, and every card in the set used hologram technology. My birthday present that year was a complete set- that was a big present because at the time the set cost $50 or more, I forget, but I know I only had 3 or so of the cards before then. It was the final year for Jam Session, and the only one that featured die cutting.