Released in 2003 under the Sports series, the Lego NBA Player packs were a popular item for basketball fans. Each set contained three different players, background cards and a small plastic display stand. Priced between $5.99 and $8.99 (depending on the store selling the set) it was an affordable limited edition product that outshined all of the other sets in ill-fated NBA theme. The prices listed with these sets can and will vary. The prices listed with the sets are their original suggested retail prices; you will be hard pressed to find them in mint condition for these prices. Please use caution when ordering these online to avoid being ripped off or sold knock-off products.
When compared to the other sport themed sets, the NBA series only had a limited appeal. I purchased them at a discount and ended up reselling some of them for about 30 times what I paid for them. This isn’t something that I normally do but I had absolutely no use for them. As a Lego lover and avid collector I saw the appeal of them but on a personal level there was no way I would be able to make use of the mini figures or any of the packaged accessories.
For years Lego designers have tried to get a sports theme to catch on with fans of the building system. Obviously one of the things that hinders the concept is the small scale of the mini figures and the limitations of the characters. When the NBA sets debuted the player sets were a huge hit for basketball fans but the larger companion sets were almost a complete failure. They were overpriced, cumbersome and didn’t have much replay value to them. On the plus side, you were getting some interesting facial expressions as well as the chocolate colored head pegs for select characters.
The player sets were marketed perfectly; the sets contained three different players from different teams and were almost instantly compared to the Mini Hero series from other themes. Whether people bought them as souvenir products or to give as gifts, they were something that were in high demand. The player likenesses were iffy at best; designers chose to play it safe with most of them and didn’t really go all out to give them the most facial and physical detail possible. Another downside to the player sets came when people were traded. There were no reissued mini figures or supplements offered to update players when they were traded to another team. Even though this was seen as a con, I am sure that more than a few basketball fans loved the fact that they had something from a player’s history to display. If you want to modify or ‘correct’ a player that was traded, there were sites that sold sticker overlays that you could use to update the player. These were not official Lego items and using them would make it non-eligible for a Lego building competition.
People looking to buy these player themed sets encountered a lot of problems; when buying them online you had to worry about getting the exact set you wanted because there were eight sets in the original line up there were more than a few chances that you would be sent a completely different set. There is a huge aftermarket for the individual player mini figures; some of them can cost as much as fifty dollars if they are in mint condition but that really depends on the supply and demand for them. While not the best looking sport themed mini figures, they are something that is considered highly collectible.
Other sport themed sets from Lego include the NHL themed hockey sets. These had actual mini figures and sets as well as a rather odd Technic themed series of players that were separate from the actual building sets. The Xtreme Sports theme didn’t go over all that well even though there were more than a few different sports included in it; price was a factor but the true killer was lack of advertising and almost no companion sets that they could be used with.
Prices on the NBA player sets vary; some of them can be found for ten to fifteen dollars while others will cost five to six times their original suggested retail price. It is a supply and demand situation so set a maximum price you are willing to spend on a set and stick to it. I don’t suggest buying the players individually unless you only want two or three of them; you are going to be taking a risk of getting something that is used or “custom” that won’t be an authentic from-set mini figure. These make for great gifts for people who are in to basketball but because most of the players are no longer with these teams it could be something that ends up getting tossed in a closet and forgotten about.
Lego NBA Set 1 – Set # 3560 – Piece Count: 12 – Price: $6.99
Tim Duncan of the San Antonio Spurs, Ray Allen of the Milwaukee Bucks, Pau Gasol of the Memphis Grizzlies
Lego NBA Set 2 – Set # 3561 – Piece Count: 12 – Price: $7.99
Shaquille O’Neal of the LA Lakers, Tony Parker of the San Antonio Spurs, Antoine Walker of the Boston Celtics
Lego NBA Set 3 – Set # 3562 – Piece Count: 13 – Price: $8.99
Vince Carter of the Toronto Raptors, Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks, Gary Payton of the Milwaukee Bucs
Lego NBA Set 4 – Set # 3563 – Piece Count: 12 – Price: $6.99
Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers, Jason Kidd of the New Jersey Nets, Toni Kukoc of the Milwaukee Bucks
Lego NBA Set 5 – Set # 3564 – Piece Count: 12 – Price: $8.99
Allen Iverson of the Philadelphia 76ers, Steve Francis of the Houston Rockets, Karl Malone of the Utah Jazz
Lego NBA Set 6 – Set # 3565 – Piece Count: 13 – Price: $8.99
Paul Pierce of the Boston Celtics, Jerry Stackhouse of the Washinton Wizards, Steve Nash of the Dallas Mavericks
Lego NBA Set 7 – Set # 3566 – Piece Count: 12 – Price: $7.99
Kevin Garnett of the MN Timberwolves, Predrag Stojakovic of the Kings, Jalen Rose of the Chicago Bulls
Lego NBA Set 8 – Set # 3567 – Piece Count: 12 – Price: $8.99
Chris Webber of the Sacramento Kings, Tracy McGrady of the Orlando Magic, Allan Houston of the New York Knicks
