The Most Expensive Kevin Durant Basketball Cards in the World

Who is Kevin Durant?

Kevin Durant, also known by his initials KD, is among the best scorers in the history of the NBA. He put himself on the map while playing for the Texas Longhorns, then was drafted 2nd overall in the 2007 NBA draft by the Seatle Supersonics. In college, he won the Naismith College Player of the Year Award, the first freshman ever to do so.

The Seattle Supersonics became the Oklahoma City Thunder, and the fanbase took KD under their arms and fell head over heels for their star. The team consisted of James Harden, Russel Westbrook, and Serge Ibaba. They were one of the best young cores the league had seen in a long time. 

Eventually, KD decided he needed a change of scenery, signing with the best team in the league, the Golden State Warriors. This caused many fans to turn on him, especially after he had just lost to the Warriors while up 3-1 in a playoff series. He quickly became known as a snake, and many Oklahoma City Thunder fans turned on him.

His last season with Golden State ended with a serious ending Achilles-injury that later saw him leave in free agency to the Brooklyn Nets. Durant sat the entire year out after orchestrating a move to join forces with friends Kyrie Irving and Deandre Jordan. The Nets had championship aspirations in their first entire season with a healthy Durant. He almost lifted the team to the NBA finals over the future champions, the Milwaukee Bucks but had his toe on the line on a potentially game-winning three-point shot. 

Heading into the future, Durant has been the center of many headlines. He demanded a trade in the 2022 off-season, eventually being told no one would meet the asking price for the past MVP. Further, he has tied himself to one of the strangest current NBA superstars in, Kyrie Irving. We'll see what Durant's future continues to hold for him.

As a professional, Durant has won two NBA championships, one MVP, two Finals MVPs, two All-Star MVPs, four NBA scoring titles, the NBA Rookie of the Year Award, and is a multi-time All-Star and All-NBA player.

As an Olympian, Durant has won three gold medals and is the leading scorer in USA men's Olympic basketball history.

With all this said, Kevin Durant's basketball cards aren't as highly valued as other NBA stars. The reasoning may be partly that the Seatle Supersonics no longer exist, his popularity downfall post-Oklahoma, or other factors. 

What is the most expensive Kevin Durant Cards ever sold?

2007/08 UD “Exquisite Collection” Rookie Parallel #94 Kevin Durant Signed Patch Rookie Card (#23/35) – BGS MINT 9/BGS 10

The most expensive Kevin Durant rookie card ever sold is the 2007-08 Upper Deck “Exquisite Collection” Rookie Parallel signed patch card. It sold for $780,000 on March 8th, 2021. With only 35 total in existence, this is the highest MINT rating, making it the best card available. As with most players, the rookie patch cards will be the most expensive basketball card, and Kevin Durant is no exception.

Here's the excerpt of the card taken from the description of the sale lot.

Encapsulated and graded MINT 9 by BGS, with signature graded “10” by Beckett. Rookie Card. Here's an outstanding, debut-year tribute to the NBA superstar! The obverse of the offered card features a vivid blue ink signature penned by Kevin Durant, and also showcases a multi-colored, event-worn jersey patch showing a letter segment. The card's BGS condition report: Centering: 9.5, Corners: 8.5, Edges: 9, Surface: 9.5. Text on the card's back declares Upper Deck's certification of the signature's authenticity and the jersey piece's genuineness, and serves as the item's COA. The exclusive, limited-edition piece is serial-numbered “23/35.” An incredibly exciting collectible, in very sharp Mint condition. – Via GoldinAuctions

2007-08 Exquisite Collection Rookie Parallel #94 Kevin Durant RPA Three Color Patch Autograph 25/35 BGS MINT 9 – Auto 10

Another rookie patch has the same mint value of 9. Unfortunately for the seller, this wasn't sold for nearly as high a number.

Did you know in the rookie season pictured, Kevin Durant was played as a shooting guard by coach P.J Carlissimo?

Durant had a habit of listing himself below his actual height of 7'0″. This was because he was scared coaches would see his height and try to turn him into more of a post-up type of player. Remember, at the University of Texas, Durant played many minutes as a center! Durant's fears weren't realized, as he was a pioneer of tall players with skills being played at the guard position. So how tall is Kevin Durant? We finally learned his actual height is 6'11” when the NBA made all listed heights official. 

2007 Exquisite Collection Gold Kevin Durant ROOKIE PATCH AUTO /35 #94 BGS 9 MINT

$360,000.00

Bear with me for one more rookie patch card before we see some fresh blood. Another MINT 9 falls a whole $400,000 below the top seller on our list. Maybe it's the signature? Perhaps it's the jersey patch? Regardless, the price is so much lower than the top sellers that something has to be different. 

2007-08 Topps Chrome White Refractor #131 Kevin Durant Rookie Card (#84/99) – PSA GEM MT 10

$288,000.00

We're changing gears here to the Topp Chrome Collection instead of the Upper Decks that dominate the most expensive sports card lists that we see here at Ventured.

This card is intriguing to me. It sold in the ~$300,000 range despite having no jersey patch or signature. The mint 10 rating is incredible, and the main reason behind the price point of this guard, but the 99 total that was made doesn't make it the rarest card around.

Let's look at what GoldinAuction had to say about this card.

Graded GEM MT 10 by BGS. Rookie Card. This is a refreshingly brilliant debut-year celebration of the NBA superstar. The piece stands among a total of just two dozen copies recorded in PSA's census reporting. Here's an abundantly eye-catching – and tantalizingly exclusive! – first-year tribute memento honoring the two-time NBA Champion and ten-time NBA All-Star. (The future Hall of Famer's stellar career highlights also include bringing home two Olympic Gold Medals with Team U.S.A.) The limited-edition piece is serial-numbered “84/99.” An outstanding, truly monumental collectible in pinnacle Gem Mint condition.

2007 Topps Chrome #131 Kevin Durant White Refractor #4/99 Rookie Card PSA 10 GEM MINT

$288,000.00

As with most lists, we'll skip the next couple of cards to include some we haven't seen yet.

A Kevin Durant card different from the others features a rookie Durant donned with his Seattle jersey, surrounded by Gold. The card was made by Bowman Sterling, a name that isn't necessarily at the top of the sports card game, but hey; they made it on this list!

With five total made, this card is the only one to receive the unimprovable grade of mint 10.

Thanks again for reading. For more articles about the most expensive sports cards in the world, you can check out my author page or our homepage at Ventured.com.