2024-25 Donruss Optic Basketball - Cut to the Chase

2024-25 Donruss Optic Basketball elevates the regular Donruss release with a chrome makeover. It’s a set with widespread appeal, delivering lots of shiny content and a massive checklist. The end result is something that is fun to collect while also offering a chance at some coveted and valuable cards.

Live virtually all chromium sets, one of the core pieces is the rainbow. All standard base cards have more than 70 parallels. Of these, almost 30 are numbered to 25 or fewer copies. It’s a daunting amount made even more challenging due to the fact that there are so many different box and pack types, many of which have their own assortment of exclusives.

With the connection to Donruss comes the Rated Rookies, a little something extra for the rookie cards rooted in the brand’s history and tradition.

For autograph collectors, hobby boxes have one. With the rookie class not being the strongest compared to recent years, some may find themselves looking to the veteran and retired signers. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Julius Erving, Larry Bird, Nikola Jokic, Tyrese Haliburton, Paolo Banchero and Patrick Ewing are a handful of the potential signatures.

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Where the 2024-25 Donruss Optic Basketball checklist really takes off is with its other inserts. Well over a dozen different themes make their way into the product across both retail and hobby. Here are five of the short print chase sets to look for and where you can find them:

Top 5 Chase Sets in 2024-25 Donruss Optic Basketball

Downtown

No matter the sport or whether they're inDonruss Optic, Donruss or another product, Downtown is a king among current inserts. The lively and limited cards cast players against an illustrated backdrop highlighting hot spots and local landmarks from their home city.

The 30-card set is a mix of top-tier stars and key rookies. LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Luka Doncic run alongside Stephon Castle and Zaccharie Risacher.

In football, Downtown debuts in Donruss and then gets an additional release in Optic. That’s not the case in basketball. These are the only Downtowns in a 2024-25 NA product.

2024-25 Donruss Optic Basketball Downtown inserts are available in hobby boxes.

2024-25 Donruss Optic Basketball Downtown Checklist

1 Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks
2 LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers
3 Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
4 Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics
5 Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves
6 Ja Morant, Memphis Grizzlies
7 Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder
8 Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
9 Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets
10 Kevin Durant, Phoenix Suns
11 Trae Young, Atlanta Hawks
12 Damian Lillard, Milwaukee Bucks
13 Tyrese Maxey, Philadelphia 76ers
14 Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks
15 Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics
16 Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs
17 Zaccharie Risacher, Atlanta Hawks
18 Alexandre Sarr, Washington Wizards
19 Reed Sheppard, Houston Rockets
20 Stephon Castle, San Antonio Spurs
21 Ron Holland II, Detroit Pistons
22 Donovan Clingan, Portland Trail Blazers
23 Rob Dillingham, Minnesota Timberwolves
24 Matas Buzelis, Chicago Bulls
25 Dalton Knecht, Los Angeles Lakers
26 Bronny James Jr., Los Angeles Lakers
27 Bub Carrington, Washington Wizards
28 Jared McCain, Philadelphia 76ers
29 Zach Edey, Memphis Grizzlies
30 Cody Williams, Utah Jazz

Alter Ego

Nicknames help us connect more with players. They’re usually fun, sometimes a little strange and rarely short on visuals. That’s where Alter Ego comes in.

Limited to just 10 cards, these hobby-exclusives take players’ monikers and offer up a literal interpretation. The result, Anthony “Ant-Man” Edwards is looking like an extra in Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, hanging with some ants.

This is the second year for Alter Ego after debuting in 2023-24 Donruss Optic Basketball.

2024-25 Donruss Optic Basketball Alter Ego Checklist

1 Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks
2 Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
3 LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers
4 Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs
5 Damian Lillard, Milwaukee Bucks
6 Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves
7 Kevin Durant, Phoenix Suns
8 Yao Ming, Houston Rockets
9 Julius Erving, Philadelphia 76ers
10 Reed Sheppard, Houston Rockets

Slammy

If you grew up a sports fan in the late 1980s or early ‘90s, there’s a good chance you had a “big head” shirt. The caricatures were popular at the time, offering a cartoonish take on superstars and local favorites.

Slammy channels the same sort of bobblehead whimsy with stylish illustrations of veterans, rookies and legends.

In case these hobby-only inserts didn’t stand out enough, they get the Lazer treatment with a pattern of repeating squares running through the background.

2024-25 Donruss Optic Basketball Slammy Checklist

1 Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks
2 LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers
3 Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
4 Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics
5 Ja Morant, Memphis Grizzlies
6 Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder
7 Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
8 Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets
9 Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves
10 Kevin Durant, Phoenix Suns
11 Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs
12 Zaccharie Risacher, Atlanta Hawks
13 Alexandre Sarr, Washington Wizards
14 Reed Sheppard, Houston Rockets
15 Stephon Castle, San Antonio Spurs
16 Donovan Clingan, Portland Trail Blazers
17 Matas Buzelis, Chicago Bulls
18 Dalton Knecht, Los Angeles Lakers
19 Tidjane Salaun, Charlotte Hornets
20 Kel'el Ware, Miami Heat
21 Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs
22 Shaquille O'Neal, Orlando Magic
23 Dennis Rodman, Chicago Bulls
24 Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks
25 Yuki Kawamura, Memphis Grizzlies
26 Julius Erving, Philadelphia 76ers
27 Allen Iverson, Philadelphia 76ers
28 Jared McCain, Philadelphia 76ers
29 Carmelo Anthony, New York Knicks
30 Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat

Mythical

Mythical leads the retail-only chase sets in 2024-25 Donruss Optic Basketball. It’s top players only for the set, each appearing to get sprinkled with a little bit of pixie dust. The result makes them look like the living legends most of them are.

Like other short print inserts, both hobby and retail, parallels are limited to Gold (/10) and one-of-one Gold Vinyl.

2024-25 Donruss Optic Basketball Mythical Checklist

1 Stephon Castle, San Antonio Spurs
2 Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks
3 Alexandre Sarr, Washington Wizards
4 Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets
5 Dalton Knecht, Los Angeles Lakers
6 Reed Sheppard, Houston Rockets
7 Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves
8 Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder
9 Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks
10 Zaccharie Risacher, Atlanta Hawks
11 Ja Morant, Memphis Grizzlies
12 Zion Williamson, New Orleans Pelicans
13 LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers
14 Trae Young, Atlanta Hawks
15 Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs
16 Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
17 Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
18 Kevin Durant, Phoenix Suns
19 Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics
20 Damian Lillard, Milwaukee Bucks

Phazes

Phazes is another SSP set that’s exclusive to retail (which includes hobby blasters and hobby mega boxes). These 30 cards all present players with four different photos.

For some, the idea is to capture motion with each shot proceeding to the next. These are almost like a small clip of animation. This isn’t the case for all Phazes, though. Some cards are simply four photos of a players with maybe some motion or maybe a chance to showcase four different jerseys.

2024-25 Donruss Optic Basketball Phazes Checklist

1 Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs
2 Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks
3 LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers
4 Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
5 Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics
6 Ja Morant, Memphis Grizzlies
7 Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder
8 Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
9 Derrick Rose, Chicago Bulls
10 Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves
11 Kevin Durant, Phoenix Suns
12 Trae Young, Atlanta Hawks
13 Zion Williamson, New Orleans Pelicans
14 Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks
15 Tyrese Maxey, Philadelphia 76ers
16 Bub Carrington, Washington Wizards
17 Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers
18 Kyrie Irving, Dallas Mavericks
19 Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics
20 Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns
21 Zaccharie Risacher, Atlanta Hawks
22 Alexandre Sarr, Washington Wizards
23 Reed Sheppard, Houston Rockets
24 Stephon Castle, San Antonio Spurs
25 Donovan Clingan, Portland Trail Blazers
26 Rob Dillingham, Minnesota Timberwolves
27 Matas Buzelis, Chicago Bulls
28 Jared McCain, Philadelphia 76ers
29 Dalton Knecht, Los Angeles Lakers
30 Bronny James Jr., Los Angeles Lakers

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