Released in August 2001, this 258-card base set contains 220 veterans and 35 rookies. The set also contains 1 NBA 2001 Championship Team photo card. The cards are standard size and have solid borders on the two vertical sides of the card. The borders on the horizontal sides of the card look as though they are crumbling apart. The cards feature color action shots with the Topps logo in the upper right-hand corner and the player's name in the lower right-hand corner. A special Preseason EXCH card was included in the product, and there was speculation that this would be a limited Michael Jordan card. In the end it was redeemed for a special Pau Gasol card. Topps was packaged in 36-pack boxes with ten cards per pack and packs carrying a suggested retail price of $1.49. HTA packs were packaged in 12-pack boxes with packs containing 38 cards, including one draft pick, and carried a suggested retail price of $5.00.