1993-94 basketball products had a solid rookie class including Hall of Famer and Golden State Warriors star rookie Chris Webber as well as the Orlando Magic playmaking sensation Anfernee Hardaway. The Skybox Premium product released that season was intended to be just that- an upper echelon product in the oversaturated sports card market.
Within this premium pile of cards would be found an insert set called Thunder & Lightning with cards inserted into Series 2 packs at a rate of one in every 12 packs.
The cards featured two players. The A-side features Thunder, which is generally a larger player such as a center or forward who is doing the heavy lifting near the hoop while the B-side of the card features the “Lightning” teammate, typically a smaller guard on the squad making moves on the perimeter.
The foil cards are borderless on both sides as both front and back are attractive enough to be a featured card image. Each side features a color in-action shot of the player cut out against a deep metallic backdrop.
The picture on the front of the card is vertical with a swirling foil backdrop, the circular Thunder and Lightning logo, the player’s name in cursive and a row of circles at the bottom of the card and the word “Thunder” at the very bottom of the card. The back of the card is horizontal with the player’s image streaking from one side of the card to the other. The same cursive writing and circle line pattern from the front is found on the back as well as the word “Lightning”. The card number and NBA logo are also on the card back.
The Roster
The nine card set is full of a wide variety of players ranging from future Hall of Famers and superstars to little known role players.
The first card in the set is the Dallas Mavericks tandem of Jamal Mashburn and Jimmy Jackson of the Dallas Mavericks.
The second card in the set is Miami Heat duo of Harold Miner, who is seen doing what he does best on this card–dunking– coupled with the lightning of sharp shooting Steve Smith featured who is featured on the back.
The Minnesota Timberwolves tandem of a thunderous NBA Slam Dunk champion Isaiah Rider paired up with his smaller teammate Michael Williams come in at card number three in the set.
A really solid New Jersey Nets tandem of big man Derrick Coleman and point guard Kenny Anderson make up card #4.
Two New York Knicks greats are featured on the fifth card in the set. Hall of Fame center Patrick Ewing is on the front while team favorite shooting guard John Starks provides the party on the back of the card.
The most iconic card in the set comes in at number six. The Orlando Magic tandem of center Shaquille O’Neal, who clearly provides as much thunder as any player in league history is seen throwing down a classic dunk while his rookie playmaking point guard sensation Anfernee Hardaway provides the spinning, racing, dishing and dunking on the back of the card… and on the court.
The most inauspicious or a questionable card in the set comes at the seventh spot when the Philadelphia 76ers showcase the “thunder” of 7′ 6 center Shawn Bradley and the “lightning” of point guard Jeff Hornacek on the reverse. In fairness, the towering Bradley was a rookie with a ton of upside and if nothing else a curiosity around the league that season, so that might explain the inclusion.
The next to last card features Sacramento Kings scoring forward Walt Williams providing the throwdown thunder on the front of the card and former Duke University star Bobby Hurley providing the lightning on the back. The Kings thought they were finally moving out of the NBA doldrums until Hurley suffered serious injuries in a car accident in December of ’93.
The final card in the set features rebounding god Dennis Rodman, bringing the rebounding thunder on the front while superstar center David Robinson is considered the lightning. It was sort of a stretch but it really just illustrates the magnitude and impact of what Rodman did in the paint and Robinson’s unique mobility as a seven-footer.
Pricing
Because of their foil, borderless look, these can be a challenge to submit for grading and expect something on the high end of the scale.
While pretty much any raw card in the set can be had for $5 or less, high grade examples command a few bucks more. Complete sets can usually be found for $10-$25.
Although not a landmark insert set by any means, Skybox Thunder & Lightning it is a nice example of a quality product with a somewhat unique design and theme. Regardless, T&L is a great example of nineties basketball nostalgia.
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