Panini America Presents a Must-See Gallery Honoring NBA ROY Damian Lillard

The NBA made official earlier today what most of the league and its millions of fans around the world have known for months: Portland Trailblazers guard Damian Lillard is the Kia NBA Rookie of the Year for the 2012-2013 season. The sixth overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft, Lillard led all rookies in scoring (19 ppg) while playing in all 82 games this season.

“I can’t stop smiling,” Lillard said after receiving the Eddie Gottlieb Trophy earlier today. Panini America collectors who’ve pulled his officially licensed NBA trading cards this season know exactly how he feels.

Lillard has been a mainstay in Panini America’s NBA trading card sets all season long. In fact, the only place you can find his 12 officially licensed Rookie Cards from the 2012-13 season is inside Panini America products. While Lillard’s base RCs range in value from $6 to $50, his best insert cards from Panini America — including gems from Totally Certified, Prizm and Select, to name three — are valued at more than $300.

But the scarcest of Lillard’s best Panini America cards have routinely changed hands on the secondary market for more than $2,000. Like the man himself, Lillard’s officially licensed NBA trading cards from Panini America are quite the phenomenon — a phenomenon that will only intensify with the release of Lillard’s 2012-13 National Treasures Basketball RC later this year.

As our way of saying “Congratulations, Damian,” we present a must-see gallery of some of the coolest officially licensed NBA trading cards from his historic rookie season.