For the third year in a row, Topps went with a 132-card basketball set in the standard size and without any subsets. Despite giving the cards a more contemporary look for the new decade, it is one of the lowest-valued basketball sets of the era.
Card fronts featured a player photo, which was usually a game-action photo. Below the picture is a banner icon, which wraps around a basketball. The part of the banner around the ball contains a team name, with the player's name over to the left on another part of that banner. The player's position appears below that. The back has the requisite basketball icon with the card number in the upper left hand corner, with the player's name inside a stripe extended from that ball. A team quiz cartoon appears below inside its own box, with the player's vital stats to its right. A year-by-year career statistic display and write-up follow. A black stripe with a position, city and team name runs along the right horizontal side.
Once again, All-Star players are credited on their base cards with a circular icon indicating which team they made. The rookie crop is thin this year, with Alex English being the most noticeable player. Other rookies include Reggie Theus and Mychal Thompson.
Key 1979-80 Topps Basketball Cards:
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1979-80 Topps Basketball Card Checklist
| Card # | Player Name |
|---|---|
| 1 | George Gervin |
| 2 | Mitch Kupchak |
| 3 | Henry Bibby |
| 4 | Bob Gross |
| 5 | Dave Cowens |
| 6 | Dennis Johnson |
| 7 | Scott Wedman |
| 8 | Earl Monroe |
| 9 | Mike Bantom |
| 10 | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar |
| 11 | Jo Jo White |
| 12 | Spencer Haywood |
| 13 | Kevin Porter |
| 14 | Bernard King |
| 15 | Mike Newlin |
| 16 | Sidney Wicks |
| 17 | Dan Issel |
| 18 | Tom Henderson |
| 19 | Jim Chones |
| 20 | Julius Erving |
| 21 | Brian Winters |
| 22 | Billy Paultz |
| 23 | Cedric Maxwell |
| 24 | Eddie Johnson |
| 25 | Artis Gilmore |
| 26 | Maurice Lucas |
| 27 | Gus Williams |
| 28 | Sam Lacey |
| 29 | Toby Knight |
| 30 | Paul Westphal |
| 31 | Alex English RC |
| 32 | Gail Goodrich |
| 33 | Caldwell Jones |
| 34 | Kevin Grevey |
| 35 | Jamaal Wilkes |
| 36 | Sonny Parker |
| 37 | John Gianelli |
| 38 | John Long RC |
| 39 | George Johnson |
| 40 | Lloyd Free All-Star2 |
| 41 | Rudy Tomjanovich |
| 42 | Foots Walker |
| 43 | Dan Roundfield |
| 44 | Reggie Theus RC |
| 45 | Bill Walton |
| 46 | Fred Brown |
| 47 | Darnell Hillman |
| 48 | Ray Williams |
| 49 | Larry Kenon |
| 50 | David Thompson |
| 51 | Billy Knight |
| 52 | Alvan Adams |
| 53 | Phil Smith |
| 54 | Adrian Dantley |
| 55 | John Williamson |
| 56 | Campy Russell |
| 57 | Armond Hill |
| 58 | Bob Lanier |
| 59 | Mickey Johnson |
| 60 | Pete Maravich |
| 61 | Nick Weatherspoon |
| 62 | Robert Reid RC |
| 63 | Mychal Thompson RC |
| 64 | Doug Collins |
| 65 | Wes Unseld |
| 66 | Jack Sikma |
| 67 | Bobby Wilkerson |
| 68 | Bill Robinzine |
| 69 | Joe Meriweather |
| 70 | Marques Johnson |
| 71 | Ricky Sobers |
| 72 | Clifford Ray |
| 73 | Tim Bassett |
| 74 | James Silas |
| 75 | Bob McAdoo |
| 76 | Austin Carr |
| 77 | Don Ford |
| 78 | Steve Hawes |
| 79 | Ron Brewer RC |
| 80 | Walter Davis |
| 81 | Calvin Murphy |
| 82 | Tom Boswell |
| 83 | Lonnie Shelton |
| 84 | Terry Tyler RC |
| 85 | Randy Smith |
| 86 | Rich Kelley |
| 87 | Otis Birdsong RC |
| 88 | Marvin Webster |
| 89 | Eric Money |
| 90 | Elvin Hayes |
| 91 | Junior Bridgeman |
| 92 | Johnny Davis |
| 93 | Robert Parish |
| 94 | Eddie Jordan |
| 95 | Leonard Robinson |
| 96 | Rick Robey RC |
| 97 | Norm Nixon |
| 98 | Mark Olberding |
| 99 | Wilbur Holland |
| 100 | Moses Malone |
| 101 | Checklist 1-132 |
| 102 | Tom Owens |
| 103 | Phil Chenier |
| 104 | John Johnson |
| 105 | Darryl Dawkins |
| 106 | Charlie Scott |
| 107 | M.L. Carr |
| 108 | Phil Ford RC |
| 109 | Swen Nater |
| 110 | Nate Archibald |
| 111 | Aaron James |
| 112 | Jim Cleamons |
| 113 | James Edwards |
| 114 | Don Buse |
| 115 | Steve Mix |
| 116 | Charles Johnson |
| 117 | Elmore Smith |
| 118 | John Drew |
| 119 | Lou Hudson |
| 120 | Rick Barry |
| 121 | Kent Benson RC |
| 122 | Mike Gale |
| 123 | Jan Van Breda Kolff |
| 124 | Chris Ford |
| 125 | George McGinnis |
| 126 | Leon Douglas |
| 127 | John Lucas |
| 128 | Kermit Washington |
| 129 | Lionel Hollins |
| 130 | Bob Dandridge All-Star2 |
| 131 | James McElroy |
| 132 | Bobby Jones |
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