The NBA court is coming to the iconic Monopoly board.
Hasbro and Panini America, the exclusive trading card partner of the NBA and NBPA, inked a partnership deal to create the new Monopoly Prizm: NBA Edition board game. Players can collect, trade, and compete with real Panini NBA Prizm trading cards and exclusive Monopoly parallels and inserts for NBA All-Star glory.
“Based on fan insights, we noticed a unique crossover opportunity between individuals who love classic gameplay and card collecting, which ultimately lit the spark to create and bring this innovative trading card element to Monopoly,” says Adam Biehl, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Hasbro Gaming. “We’re ecstatic to have partnered with Panini, one of the top sports card companies, to power this new Monopoly edition through the utilization of authentic trading cards, real player statistics, and collectible card packs to expand the game.”
Prizm, the NBA trading card brand from Panini, is the foundation for the board game, which features a 90-card base set. There are also special and rare Monopoly Prizm inserts and Monopoly Boardwalk parallels that can be found in Monopoly Prizm: NBA Booster Boxes to enhance gameplay. NBA fans will take on the role of a coach, collecting their favorite players and prominent rookies for the ultimate roster as part of the game.
“The global popularity of our Prizm trading card brand was the perfect match for such an iconic brand like Monopoly to introduce an NBA trading card board game that captures all the elements of Monopoly and introduces special parallels and rare inserts to enhance gameplay that have made our NBA trading cards so popular and collectible,” says Jason Howarth, Vice President of Marketing at Panini America.
In this version of the classic Monopoly game, players will draft their squad, trade cards to build their team, and compete in 1:1 matches to win All-Star Cards as they pass Go. Instead of buying properties, players try to take control of NBA games and collect bonus points when opponents land on them. To earn more points, players compare the stats on their Panini NBA cards when they compete in Playmaker Challenges and All-Star Contests.
“The Monopoly Prizm: NBA Edition board game is a direct response to the excitement and interest we have seen from NBA fans and is representative of the continued evolution of this industry,” says Brian Keegan, Head of Trading Cards, Memorabilia, and Hardgoods at the NBA. “Through our collaboration with Hasbro, Inc. and Panini America, we look forward to introducing another opportunity NBA fans can compete with one another and celebrate our game.”
Monopoly Prizm: NBA Edition will be available at Target beginning April 16 and other major retailers beginning Aug. 1.
