The Most Expensive Basketball Cards in the World

The trading card hobby has seen an explosion in popularity, and the prices for the most expensive basketball cards in the world have shot up right alongside it.

For most of the hobby's history, baseball cards have had the highest value, and many vintage baseball cards have out-priced even the most valuable basketball cards.

So people ask, are basketball cards worth anything?

Yes. Some rare and unique basketball cards can be worth over a million dollars each. The most valuable basketball cards feature legendary players, jersey patches, and rookie cards that are in mint or near-mint condition. These aren't local cards that can be picked up at a thrift store; these cards are auctioned off and bought by investors for incredibly high prices.

Keep reading to see which player has the most expensive basketball card ever sold, which rookie card is worth the most money, and which cards have a chance of breaking the record in the future!

The Most Expensive Basketball Cards in the World

The most expensive basketball card in the world is a 2009 Stephen Curry National Treasure Rookie Autos Logoman 1/1 valued at $5.9 million. The card features a game-worn jersey patch with the NBA logo. Prior to that, a Pokemon card was purchased by Logan Paul for $5.3 Million.

Alt Fund, the card buyer, has made plenty of headlines by bidding up valuable basketball cards and paying unheard-of prices. They then turn around and allow everyday investors to own a fraction of the cards they buy by investing in their venture fund. 

This Curry rookie card is currently the second most expensive sports card in the world behind a Honus Wagner T206 baseball card.

2. Lebron James 2003-2004 Upper Deck Exquisite Collection Rookie Patch Autograph

Price: $5.2 Million

The second most expensive basketball card in the world is a Lebron James 03/04 Upper Deck Rookie Patch Autograph card. An unknown buyer purchased the card for $5.2 million.

While this card does share the jersey patch and autograph that makes other cards on this list so expensive, it has some differences. Upper Deck, not Panini, produced this card. Lebron James himself has claimed that he owns “a couple” of these cards in his collection.

The buyer of the card remained anonymous at the time of the record-breaking purchase. However, the rumor is the company Alt owns the card. 

Lebron James basketball cards are among the most valuable sports cards in any sport. Several James rookie cards have fetched prices over $1 million in the last year alone.

This Luka Doncic Rookie Card enjoyed a brief stint as the most expensive sports card ever sold before a 1952 Micky Mantle card beat it out for the top spot. Later, a Lebron James rookie card sold for $5.2 million, claiming the number one spot, and eventually, the Stephen Curry card you see above won the top spot.

The record-breaking sale of $4.6 Million caught the attention of the sports memorabilia world for a host of reasons. 

The reason the price shocked people was because a card had never seen a sale price that high. The fact that this was a modern card of a 2nd-year player and the card was first pulled straight from an unopened pack on a live YouTube video raised eyebrows.

The card itself is beautiful. The same National Treasures set that brought us the record-breaking Curry rookie card also features a “logoman” patch and an on-card autograph in blue ink.

This card is fourth on the list, but it's first when it comes to the most expensive Michael Jordan card ever sold. It is one of 23 cards released in the set and not even the only one to make this list (see number 7).

Most of the modern cards are from Panini and feature the National Treasures set. The exclusive licensing deal that Panini signed with the NBA started in 2009. Before that, only Upper Deck and Topps had contracts with the NBA.

Upper Deck still has exclusive rights to Lebron James and Michael Jordan basketball cards, meaning that Panini cannot produce cards featuring either player (source: sportscollectorsdaily). 

While it is NOT a Michael Jordan rookie card, it is one of the only basketball cards featuring a patch of a game-worn Michael Jordan jersey. The jersey patch comes from the 1997-1998 NBA All-Star Game.

Do you see a few themes here? National Treasures Rookie Auto Logoman cards tend to be quite valuable, and the Alt likes to own them.  

Giannis won his first NBA Championship almost a year after this purchase, but the Alt Fund saw something in the “Greek Freak.”  Antetokounmpo has more than one card on the list of most expensive sports cards ever sold and still has plenty of time to rise among the rankings of the best players in NBA history.

This is the most expensive Giannis Antetokounmpo basketball card in the world. If he can muster up a couple more 50-point NBA Finals games, I imagine Giannis Antetokounmpo's rookie cards will continue to explode in value.

If I could own any card on this list, it might be this one. Kobe often gets forgotten in the Lebron vs. MJ debate, but I believe NBA fans will remember him as one of the greatest players ever and that this card will be worth more than most of the other cards on this list.  

While the 1 of 1's is a case of artificial scarcity, this card's scarcity is created by its condition. The most expensive Kobe Bryant basketball card ever sold is a Topps Chrome Refractor, and it is graded BGS 10 Black Label by Beckett Grading Services.

Final Sale Price: $1,795,800

An all-time record for any Kobe Bryant card. pic.twitter.com/dTStDwavHx

— Goldin Auctions (@GoldinAuctions) March 7, 2021

BGS Black Label is a grade that is rarely given out and means the card is in perfect condition. While Topps produced hundreds of 1996-1997 Topps Chrome Kobe Bryant Refractors, only two exist that were graded BGS Black Label. This card is rare and is hands down the most valuable Kobe Bryant rookie card. 

I want one badly.

Another Michael Jordan card that is similar to the card above. This Michael Jordan basketball card features a swatch of a jersey that Michael wore during the 1992 All-Star Game. This card is #8 of the 23 cards that Upper Deck produced.

Card collecting is a unique hobby, but even more remarkable is the reason behind some cards' value compared to others. This card doesn't come close to the same card featured above solely because the jersey patch on Michaels's more expensive card features a red portion.

The auction had 69 registered bidders, and the winner remained anonymous. This was the first Heritage Auction event that was exclusively dedicated to the sale of modern cards.

While not a Lebron James rookie card, this 2004-2005 Upper Deck card is very similar to the National Treasures Logoman autograph cards.

It also features a game-worn patch of James' jersey and an on-card autograph in blue ink. The card is a 1 of 1 and was sold in an online auction by Goldin Auctions.

This is another cool card. While the 1986 Fleer is Michael Jordan's most valuable rookie card, this one is probably his coolest basketball card. The 1986 Fleer is well-known among card collectors, and the Precious Metal Gem series has risen in popularity.  

The Precious Metal Gems set from Skybox did not skyrocket in value until recently, but these cards have become crazy popular of late. Because of the foil on the card, they are hard to keep in good condition, and only a handful have even been discovered.

There are likely still 1997 Michael Jordan Precious Metal Gems still waiting in unopened packs somewhere. Many of those unopened packs are for sale on eBay for tens of thousands of dollars.

This is the oldest card on the list and is my second favorite. The 1980 Topps basketball set is one of the most iconic basketball card sets in history, featuring Larry Bird and Magic Johnson rookie cards.

The most valuable card in the set, however, is not the Larry Bird rookie card. Topps produced a “scoring leader” series featuring three players from each set. The 1980 Scoring Leader card features Dr. J (the scoring leader at the time) in between rookies Larry Bird and Earvin “Magic” Johnson.  

This has quickly become one of the most coveted basketball cards in existence, and highly graded cards are very valuable. It is believed that there are 25 copies graded PSA 10.

Known as the “official” Michael Jordan rookie card, the 1986-1987 Fleer Michael Jordan card has been breaking records left and right. In January of 2021, two PSA 10 versions of the card sold for $738,000 each.  

While the supply of this card is much higher than other cards on the list, its popularity makes them valuable. Less than three years ago, you could have this exact card for $25,000.  

It is a simple but classic card, and it features the GOAT himself. No matter the supply, this card is sure to hold value over time as it is one of the most recognizable sports cards, period.  

Possible Most Valuable Basketball Cards in the Future

Here are three cards to keep an eye on that could potentially become some of the most valuable basketball cards in the world:

1. Lamelo Ball National Treasures 

Sure, Lamelo is nowhere near the status of some players on this list, but he does have a considerable following and undeniable star power. If we learned anything from reading this list, its that a player does not have to have retired for his Rookie Card to be worth $4 Million+

2. Zion Williamson National Treasures

Zion is mesmerizing to watch. He needs to stay healthy. If healthy, Zion Williamson is a generational talent. Whether he wins championships or not, he is the type of player that people will pay up big time for his high-end rookie cards.

3. Trae Young National Treasures

The former Oklahoma Sooner has been putting stupid numbers. To add to those numbers, he has proven that he can lead the Hawks on a deep playoff run.  

Young is ringing some Steph Curry bells, and if he keeps it up, he could start breaking records for the most valuable basketball card.  

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