The Black Mamba Snake Resin Figure by Tracy Tubera

To celebrate Kobe Bryant’s birthday, artist Tracy Tubera is releasing his amazing KB24 tribute – The Black Mamba Snake – as a full size resin figure!!! And of course it’s dropping on Kobe Bryant Day a.k.a. 8/24. The Blot absolutely loves this figure’s design and it looks super sleek in glossy black. Tracy and I are both diehard Lakers fans and you can really feel the excitement in this piece.

The Black Mamba Snake resin figure by Tracy Tubera stands 10” tall and goes on sale at 8:24am PT today, Tuesday, August 24th, at TracyTubera.com for $250.

Los Angeles Lakers 2020 NBA Champions LeBron James & Anthony Davis Screen Prints by Fitz x Phenom Gallery

As a lifelong, diehard Los Angeles Lakers fan The Blot went crazy last night when LeBron James, Anthony Davis and the rest of the 2020 LA Lakers won the 2020 NBA Championship!  To commemorate the franchise’s 17th world title, Phenom Gallery and artist Fitz have designed these two screen prints featuring Number 23 (LBJ) and Number 3 (AD).

Each Los Angeles Lakers 2020 NBA Champions LeBron James and Anthony Davis Screen Print is an 18”x24” signed and numbered 6 color screen print. Limited to 250 pieces each, these officially licensed NBA posters are available now at PhenomGallery.com for $60 each.

Los Angeles Lakers LeBron James Screen Print by M. Fitz x Phenom Gallery

To commemorate the start of the second round of the NBA playoffs, Phenom Gallery has released this killer LA Lakers screen print of Lebron James by artist M. Fitz inspired by pushglass. It is an 18”x24” signed and numbered 5 color purple and gold screen print. Limited to 200 pieces, this officially licensed NBA poster is available now at PhenomGallery.com for $60.

Los Angeles Lakers “Showtime” Magic Johnson Screen Print by Fitz x Phenom Gallery

The NBA is back, and to celebrate Phenom Gallery has released this epic LA Lakers screen print by artist Fitz celebrating Magic Johnson and the Showtime era NBA World Champions. The Blot’s a huge Lakers fan so you know I’m all about this ‘80s era Showtime Lakers poster!

Los Angeles Lakers Showtime Magic Johnson by Fitz is an 18”x24” signed and numbered 6 color screen print. Limited to 232 pieces, this officially licensed NBA poster is available now at PhenomGallery.com for $60.

DCon 2019 Excusive Johnny Cupcakes LEGO Mini Figures by The Minifig Co.

Johnny Cupcakes will be at Designer Con 2019 this weekend where they will be releasing three limited edition Johnny LEGO Mini Figures by The Minifig Co! These non-official mini fig promotional toys are part of Johnny Cupcakes’ new toy subdivision, CupCo. This new wave of Johnny LEGO Mini Figures includes the Star Wars Darth Maul inspired “Darth Johnny”, the Lakers inspired “LA LeJohnny” and “Dissect Johnny”. All three can be purchased at Johnny Cupcakes DCon booth #1819.

Los Angeles Lakers LeBron James Screen Print by Rob Zilla x Phenom Gallery

Phenom Gallery continues to its fantastic line of officially licensed NBA screen prints with the first in a new series of NBA player posters by illustrator supreme, Rob Zilla! To kick things off, Zilla has worked his magic on the Los Angeles Lakers newest superstar, LeBron James. The Washington D.C. based artist incorporated his legendary discovery details in the print, revolving around the LeBron’s number 23.

This Los Angeles Lakers LeBron James 5 color screen print by Rob Zilla measures 18”x24” and comes signed and numbered by the artist. Limited to just 300 pieces, collectors can purchase this new NBA serigraph exclusively at the Phenom Gallery online store for $60.

Los Angeles Lakers “Legend of Kobe Bryant” Screen Print by Stolitron x Phenom Gallery

Phenom Gallery continues to its fantastic line of officially licensed NBA screen prints with a very special Los Angeles Lakers poster celebrating the career of Kobe Bryant. The Blot is a huge Lakers fan so you know I’m pretty excited about this one! The “Legend of Kobe Bryant” by celebrated pop-culture artist Stolitron captures the Black Mamba’s career with the LA Lakers recognizing his achievements and iconic personality.

“Legend of Kobe Bryant” by Stolitron is an 18”x24” signed and numbered Los Angeles Lakers 5 color screen print. Limited to just 300 pieces, collectors can purchase this new NBA poster exclusively at the Phenom Gallery online store for $60.

LA Lakers “Lejohnny Big Kid” Lebron James T-Shirt by Johnny Cupcakes

The NBA season has begun, and the biggest news coming out of the off-season was the Los Angeles Lakers’ acquisition of Lebron James. The Blot’s still a little torn on this one as I’m not sure how to feel about my favorite basketball team adding the player I dislike the most to its roster. Then again, how can a fan ever be unhappy about their team adding the best player in the league to its squad? To celebrate Lebron’s move to LALA land, Johnny Cupcakes has released this awesome “Lejohnny Big Kid” t-shirt.

The LA Lakers “Lejohnny Big Kid” Lebron James t-shirt is currently available in sizes XS-3XL at the Johnny Cupcakes online store for $35.99.

SDCC 16 Exclusive “Rookie” Kobe Bryant Pop! Vinyl Figure by Bait x Funko

Bait is teaming up with Funko to release this epic San Diego Comic-Con 2016 Exclusive Kobe Bryant Pop! vinyl figure featuring a purple Lakers jersey from Kobe’s rookie season!!! What better way to commemorate Kobe Bryant’s iconic 20 year career with the Los Angeles Lakers than with a SDCC exclusive Pop! based on his very first season in the purple and gold!?! The Blot loves these old school jerseys, and in my mind the Black Mamba always wears 8.

The San Diego Comic-Con 2016 Exclusive “Rookie” Kobe Bryant Pop! Vinyl Figure can be purchased at the Bait SDCC booth #4845 for just $20.

Kobe Bryant “Black Mamba Big Kid” LA Lakers T-Shirt by Johnny Cupcakes

Yesterday was sadly the last day of Johnny Cupcakes Los Angeles! To celebrate 8 wonderful years in LA, Johnny Cupcakes released a killer batch of JCLA exclusive pop culture inspired tees! That included this epic “Black Mamba” Big Kid design, which features Johnny Cupcakes mascot Big Kid dressed up as Kobe Bryant in an old school looking LA Lakers uniform. It’s hard to believe Johnny Cupcakes LA closed just a few days after Kobe’s retirement. Two LA icons shutting it down at the same time…it’s truly the end of an era! This awesome design is limited to just 100 pieces, and I assume it sold out yesterday at the JCLA farewell party.

Kobe Bryant “KB20” Prints by Tracy Tubera

Yesterday was Mamba Day, which marked Kobe Bryant’s very last day as a professional basketball player in the NBA. It was a shockingly amazing final game for the Black Mamba who went for 60 points in a LA Lakers win against the Utah Jazz. What better way to send Kobe off than as a winner! To commemorate Kobe’s retirement after an illustrious 20 year career, Tracy Tubera has released this killer “KB20” print.

As Tubera explains, “This is my print honoring the many accomplishments of my b-ball hero. A career where he played hero and the villain. You either loved him or hated him, but you still had to respect the game! Thanks for all the memories KB. The game will never be the same without you.”

“KB” by Tracy Tubera is a 13”x19” Kobe Bryant signed, numbered and hand embossed print on archival watercolor paper. The White Edition and Gold Edition are both limited to just 24 prints and are currently available for purchase at the Tracy Tubera online store for $50 each.

LA Lakers “Big Kid Kobe” Bryant T-Shirt by Johnny Cupcakes

As you know, The Blot’s a huge fan of both the Los Angeles Lakers and the indie clothing brand Johnny Cupcakes. So last week when JC dropped a new Big Kid Baller tee featuring their adorable mascot dressed as the Lakers captain, Kobe Bryant, The Blot had to have it! Sadly this fantastic design is being sold exclusively at the Johnny Cupcakes LA retail location, which recently celebrated its 7th anniversary. Rumor has it that after 1 week in release there are only S sizes left at JC LA. So if you wear a small head down to the Johnny Cupcakes LA store and pick one up for $29.

NBA Pop! Sports Series 2 Vinyl Figures by Funko

The NBA Playoffs have been incredible so far, and now’s your chance to immortalize the 2012-2013 season with these cute, chunky vinyl figures of your favorite basketball player! Whether you’re a Heat, Lakers, Knicks or Clippers fan, there’s definitely a figure for you in Funko’s NBA Pop! Sports Series 2. NBA Pop! Sports Series 2 includes Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard, Dwayne Wade, Chris Paul, Dirk Nowitzki, Amar'e Stoudemire, Jeremy Lin (now in a Rockets uniform) and Ricky Rubio.

Each NBA Pop! Sports vinyl figure feature one point of articulation, stand 3.75” tall and come packaged in a full color displayable window box. These figures are available now in stores everywhere, but you can save yourself a trip to your local toy store by ordering them online from Entertainment Earth for $9.99 each here.

NBA Pop! Sports Series 1 Vinyl Figures by Funko

The NBA Playoffs are really heating up and now’s your chance to immortalize the 2012 season with these cute, chunky vinyl figures of your favorite basketball player! Whether you’re a Heat, Knicks or Lakers fan, there’s definitely a figure for you in Funko’s NBA Pop! Sports Series 1. What’s really amazing is there are ten figures in this first wave of NBA Pop!, making it Funko’s largest single release to date. NBA Pop! Sports Series 1 includes Lebron James, Blake Griffin, Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony, Pau Gasol, Rajon Rondo, Kevin Love, Lamarcus Aldridge, Derrick Rose and Mr. Linsanity himself, Jeremy Lin.

The NBA Pop! Sports vinyl figures feature one point of articulation, stand 3.75” tall and come packaged in a full color displayable window box. These figures are available now in stores everywhere, but you can save yourself a trip to your local toy store by ordering them online from Entertainment Earth for $9.99 each here.

NBA Pop! Series 1 Concept Artwork by Funko

Funko has teamed with MINDstyle (yes, that MINDstyle) to produce a line of officially licensed NBA Pop! vinyl figures. Series 1 includes Lebron James, Blake Griffin, Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony, Pau Gasol, Rajon Rondo, Kevin Love, Lamarcus Aldridge and the reigning MVP, Derrick Rose. While these figures look awesome, The Blot has just one question…where’s the beef? As in where’s Kobe Bryant!?! Pau’s great, but the Lakers fan in me needs a Kobe Pop! vinyl figure immediately. I guess I'll just have to wait until Series 2.

As a University of Texas alum, I also think it’s pretty cool to see two fellow longhorns included in this release, Kevin Durant and Lamarcus Aldridge. I guess they can’t say we’re just a football school anymore! Funko also leaked the preliminary artwork for a future Jeremy Lin NBA Pop! vinyl figure. This would make a pretty sweet New York Comic-Con 2012 exclusive wouldn’t it?

NBA Pop! Series 1 will begin shipping in late April to ensure they reach you in time to cheer on your favorite team during the playoffs!

Kobe Bryant 18" Vinyl Figure by CoolRain

PickYourShoes.com is teaming up with MINDstyle to release the first ever 18" NBA All Star vinyl figure by CoolRain! The PYS Exclusive Kobe Bryant Home Yellow Lakers Jersey Edition 18" vinyl figure has a limited edition run size of 300 pieces, includes an individually numbered collector’s card and comes packaged a special carrying case. This is the first large scale vinyl figure from MINDstyle’s new NBA All Star collection, and The Blot is pretty sure we’ll be seeing more of these very soon. In fact, MINDstyle is already hinting that we’ll be seeing 18” versions Derrick Rose, Dwyane Wade and Dwight Howard relatively soon. Collectors can pick up one of these massive Kobe figures from the PickYourShoes.com online store for $299.99.

SDCC 2011 Exclusive CoolRain x MINDstyle NBA Playoffs Mini Figure Box Set

The Blot hasn’t covered these new blind boxed NBA mini figures by CoolRain because I wasn’t quite sure what to make of them. Produced by MINDstyle, these NBA figures look like Michael Lau rip-offs without the creativity. What’s worse is most of them don’t even resemble the real life players they are based on and at least one of them has already changed teams! Although I can’t lie, picking up one of the Kobe Bryant figures has definitely crossed my mind a few times. But that’s got more to do with my blind Lakers devotion than my fondness for the toy.

To me, this San Diego Comic-Con 2011 Exclusive NBA Playoffs Box Set is a total cash grab. It is being marketed as a way to commemorate the dramatic 2011 NBA playoffs with a set that includes 5 of today's hottest superstars (Derrick Rose, Kobe Bryant, Dwayne Wade, Kevin Garnett and Amare Stoudemire). Except if they really wanted to commemorate the 2011 NBA Playoffs you’d think they would have included Finals MVP Dirk Nowitzki, who was also in Series 1.

But what really annoys me about this set is that four of the five figures are just commons from MINDstyle’s NBA Mini Figure Series 1. The only new/rare figure is the “EXCLUSIVE” NBA MVP Derrick Rose in his home white Bulls jersey. That’s it…so for $100 you’re paying for the white jersey Derrick Rose and the Comic-Con exclusive box set packaging. As you all know The Blot’s all about SDCC exclusives, but at least make it worth collectors’ money and time. Or just say the White Bulls Jersey Derrick Rose is limited to 300 pieces and retails for $100. That’s really what collectors are paying for right?

For those of you heading to San Diego in a few weeks, you can pick up this NBA Playoffs box set from Action Figure Xpress at their SDCC booth #3345.

Los Angeles Lakers Win the 2010 NBA Championship For Back to Back Titles

Wow, as a lifelong fan of the Los Angeles Lakers The Blot can honestly say I’m as excited for this NBA Championship, the franchise’s sixteenth, as I was the first time I watched the Lakers win one in the ‘80s. It’s definitely a feeling that never gets old, and this one was especially sweet considering the team’s collapse against the Boston Celtics in the 2008 NBA Finals.


It’s hard to believe the Lakers have now been to the Finals three straight years and are coming off back-to-back championships. Before Derek Fisher’s return and Pau Gasol’s arrival in 2008, the team was in a freefall and Kobe’s departure was all but certain. Now the years with Smush Parker and Kwame Brown are just a distant memory!


There are a number of reasons this championship is especially sweet, and at the top of that list is because it came against the Lakers’ hated rivals, the Celtics, and was the perfect revenge for 2008’s loss. On top of that, Kobe now has 5 titles (and 2 NBA Finals MVP awards), on par with Magic Johnson, and Phil Jackson has won 11 titles, widening his record over the Celtics Red Auerbach (who has 9 titles to his credit). Another amazing statistic is that Jackson is the only NBA coach to ever win multiple titles in a row four different times! He had two different three-peats with the Bulls, a three-peat with the Lakers and now back-to-back championships again with the Lakers. That’s just incredible, isn’t it?


Another interesting turn of events from last night’s victory is that Kobe now has more NBA titles than Shaquille O’Neal (5 to 4). When asked what winning another NBA titale means to him individually, Kobe responded “Just got one more than Shaq. You can take that to the bank. You know how I am. I don't forget anything." I may be a Shaq guy, but that’s still pretty funny (and true).


I could go on and on about Pau’s amazing performance throughout the playoffs (he probably should have won the Finals MVP award this year), Ron Artest’s amazing in game 7 or DFish’s continued clutch shooting…but I won’t, because you already know how great they were! Instead I’ll just make an impassioned plea to Lakers owner Dr. Jerry Buss to please, please, please resign Phi Jackson. Pay the man his money so the Lakers can you win you a second three-peat. As we all know, Phil likes to do things in 3s.

Johnny Cupcakes x NBA The Dream Team T-Shirts

The Blot is a huge fan of the NBA, so these Johnny Cupcakes Dream Team t-shirts, an unofficial tie-in with the Association, automatically becomes one of The Blot’s favorite JC releases. Released just in time for this past weekend’s NBA All-Star Game, the first three t-shirts features the Johnny Cupcakes mascot Big Kid re-imagined as three of the greatest NBA players of all time: Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird.




The second batch of Johnny Cupcakes x NBA Dream Team t-shirts are tributes to two of the league’s two most decorated franchises, the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers. These are also happened to be the only two cities that have Johnny Cupcakes retail locations. As a Lakers fan I especially like JC’s Dunkin’ Desserts Until It Hurts LA tee, and will probably have to order one when it goes on sale sometime this week.



The Johnny Cupcakes Dream Team t-shirts will all be available for purchase at the Johnny Cupcakes online store early this week; however most of these should be available in stores right now. The Big Kid Jordan is an online exclusive, while the two Celtics themed shirts will be available at Johnny Cupcakes Boston and the two Lakers themed shirts will be available at Johnny Cupcakes Los Angeles.

Disney x Span of Sunset "The Ring" Cheshire Cat Lakers Colorway

How did The Blot not know about this Lakers themed Cheshire Cat vinyl figure from Disney and Span of Sunset!?! It’s like this colorway was made just for me! Combining two of my favorite things, the Los Angeles Lakers and Disney, “The Ring” Cheshire Cat was made to honor the LA Lakers' 2009 NBA World Championship and 15th title overall.


"The Parade Ring" Cheshire Cat has officially pounced on Los Angeles and is already warming up to prep for next season's journey! Make sure you nab this purple and gold creation to cherish your most triumphant moments in NBA history, as well as enjoy season after season! Whether perched by your television set during playoff parties or displayed in your professional office space, "The Parade Ring" Cheshire Cat will represent your old-school loyalty to the best basketball team in the world!


"The Ring" Cheshire Cat by Span of Sunset x Disney is 8" and will arrive in a very cool custom box. Produced in a limited quantity, this awesome looking vinyl figure of everyone’s favorite character from the Disney classic Alice In Wonderland will retail for $60 each. There have been many different colorways of the Alice In Wonderland Cheshire Cat vinyl figure produced, to find out about how to purchase other versions of this killer collaboration between Span of Sunset and Disney click here.