cardpocalypse 7 day trading card challenge, day 4: look to the rafters

i've made it to day 4 of the carpocalypse 7 day trading card challenge. that means basketball. i wrote a little bit about my history with basketball cards earlier this year. if i still had any cards from that one pack i opened back in 1978, they would be my favorites. i've actually considered repurchasing the kareem from that set, but haven't done so as it wouldn't be the same.

ultimately, i don't plan to keep any of the jordans i showed in that post linked above, or any of the other cards i have - mostly magic johnson with a few singles of various stars (nothing terribly exciting). the only exceptions are a couple of basketball cards that i will keep in one of my other collections.  they are both blake griffin cards, one from 2015-16 panini nba hoops

and the other from 2013-14 panini nba hoops

those cards are in my luc robitaille collection, although they would be better served in a retired number collection if i ever decide to formally pull the trigger on it.  anyway, these cards both show the los angeles kings' retired numbers that hang in the staples center. the first one i showed has rob blake's number 4 up there with robitaille's 20, wayne gretzky's 99, and dave taylor's 18, while the second one also shows marcel dionne's 16 and rogie vachon's 30 (but was from a time prior to blake's addition to the rafters).

i always take note of retired numbers at any venue i visit, but i have not been to staples center since the first season that the kings played there (1999-00) so have not seen all of these retired numbers in person. the past is the past but the connection to that past is one of the best things professional sports have going for it.