{"id":1972079,"date":"2026-06-04T13:54:51","date_gmt":"2026-06-04T10:54:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1972079"},"modified":"2026-06-04T13:54:51","modified_gmt":"2026-06-04T10:54:51","slug":"panini-denies-using-ai-to-write-text-on-the-back-of-basketball-cards","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1972079","title":{"rendered":"Panini denies using AI to write text on the back of basketball cards"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The back of sports cards has long been fertile ground for curiosities. Whether it\u2019s former Cincinnati Reds pitcher Pedro Borb\u00f3n\u2019s 1970 Topps card<\/a> that declares his hobby to be cock fighting or former Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Bruce Hill\u2019s 1990 Fleer card<\/a> saying \u201cBruce is really only six years old \u2014 he was born on leap year day in 1964,\u201d you never know what you\u2019ll find.<\/p>\n

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While the words found on the backside of trading cards could range from interesting to mundane, collectors had never thought to question the author\u2019s authenticity until now.<\/p>\n

Last week, X user @Ravers posted several pictures of basketball cards<\/a> from the recently released Panini Signature Series set for Philadelphia 76ers rookie VJ Edgecombe and several other players and raised concerns about the descriptions on the backs of the cards.<\/p>\n

\u201cSeriously, what is this @PaniniAmerica???\u201d the account asked, after earlier accusing the company of producing \u201cAI slop cards.\u201d<\/p>\n

First, it sounds like Edgecombe could be on Smokey the Bear\u2019s most-wanted list.<\/p>\n

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\n The front and back of a VJ Edgecombe autographed card from Panini Signature Series. (Photos courtesy of eBay)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cEdgecombe is a spark in the dry grass. One moment he\u2019s harmless, the next he\u2019s racing down the floor setting everything on fire \u2014 defenders, rims, expectations. Transition triples, thunderous drives, sudden steals. He doesn\u2019t so much heat up as ignite, and the game rarely survives unscorched once he does.\u201d<\/p>\n

Then, Edgecombe might have made a cameo in \u201cTwister.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n Another VJ Edgecombe autographed card from Panini Signature Series. (Photos courtesy of eBay)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cUnder flickering gym lights, Edgecombe plays like a rogue thunderstorm on roller skates. One second calm, the next spinning into crossovers that make defenders question gravity itself. He crashes the rim like lightning seeking a target, leaving crowds gasping and opponents wondering when the forecast turned lethal.\u201d<\/p>\n

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And then maybe Edgecombe appeared in a \u201cTwister\u201d sequel.<\/p>\n

\u201cEdgecombe dribbles like someone turned gravity into a prank. One moment he\u2019s earthbound, the next he\u2019s tiptoeing across air currents only he can see. Defenders swear they heard wind chimes when he launched that last jumper \u2014 a sound marking yet another night where physics politely sat this one out.\u201d<\/p>\n

Edgecombe, who has an exclusive autograph deal with Panini, has many cards in the Signature Series set, some of which feature standard, back-of-card text, while others are still raising questions among collectors. For comparison, here are descriptions of Edgecombe on the backs of three different cards from the 2025-26 Topps Chrome<\/a> basketball set:<\/p>\n

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\u201cEdgecombe\u2019s tenacity, verticality and momentum-shifting plays made him Baylor\u2019s heartbeat in 2024\/25. The eye-popping athlete logged nine games with at least 10 points and three steals, which ranked second in the Big 12 Conference. VJ also won Big 12 Rookie of the Year after ranking in the loop\u2019s top 20 for PPG (13th), APG (19th) and SPG (fourth).\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u201cVJ always seems one step ahead on the defensive end. He pokes his hands into the passing lanes with perfect timing, triggering the fast break the other way.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cVJ took a star turn in his sole season at Baylor, earning 2024\/25 Big 12 Rookie of the Year honors. He ranked fourth in the conference with 68 steals.\u201d<\/p>\n

When asked if the company uses humans or AI to write the blurbs on its cards, referring specifically to these Edgecombe descriptions, Panini said in a statement to The Athletic<\/em>: \u201cPanini has a full-time, dedicated team of real people, many of which are former sports writers that write trading card backs for Panini products.\u201d<\/p>\n

This isn\u2019t the first time Panini has been accused of using AI to produce information on its trading cards. Collectors have suspected that several Downtown insert cards within Panini\u2019s 2024 Donruss set used AI, particularly a Michael Penix\/Bijan Robinson card<\/a> where the Atlanta Falcons logo faces the wrong way on an oddly lined football field.<\/p>\n

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\n A Downtown insert card from Panini\u2019s 2024 Donruss Football set. (Photo courtesy of eBay)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The thread from @Ravers didn\u2019t stop with Edgecombe.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a description on the back of an autographed card from the same 2025 Signature Series set of Minnesota Timberwolves center Joan Beringer:<\/p>\n

\u201cBeringer plays like a storm-chaser in his own movie. He runs headlong into chaos, chasing rebounds, diving for steals, firing passes through tight spaces. Then he spots the break and unleashes a 3 that lands like thunder. Crowds don\u2019t just watch his game \u2014 they weather them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Beringer didn\u2019t attempt a single three-point shot in his rookie season with Minnesota, nor did he attempt any with Slovenian team Cedevita Olimpija in 2024-25, according to Basketball Reference<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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\n A Patrick Ewing card from 2024-25 Panini Prizm Black. (Photos courtesy of eBay)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Another set has a description on the back of a Patrick Ewing card from the 2024 Panini Prizm Black set:<\/p>\n

\u201cA pro in the art of perspiration, Ewing famously drenched his iconic New York jersey and omnipresent wristbands in a hard-earned lather. The big man wasn\u2019t alone. Forcing himself onto foes like a sweater two sizes too small, he tightened his grip and turned opponents into panicked pools.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The Athletic maintains full editorial independence in all our coverage. When you click or make purchases through our links, we may earn a commission.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The back of sports cards has long been fertile ground for curiosities. Whether it\u2019s former Cincinnati Reds pitcher Pedro Borb\u00f3n\u2019s 1970 Topps card that declares his hobby to be cock fighting or former Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Bruce Hill\u2019s 1990 Fleer card saying \u201cBruce is really only six years old \u2014 he was born […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,241],"class_list":["post-1972079","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-nytimes-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1972079","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1972079"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1972079\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1972079"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1972079"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1972079"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}