Tim Duncan is regarded as the greatest power forward of all time, even though he played most of his career at the center position, but we don't talk about that. Nicknamed “the Big Fundamental,” Duncan was known for his stoic personality, lack of flare, and polished skill level, allowing him to dominate well into the twilight of his career. A career lifer for the San Antonio Spurs, Duncan was synonymous with Coach Gregg Popovich and helped lead the San Antonio Spurs to multiple championships.
Duncan was an easy hall of fame selection and was named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team in 2021. But let's dive further into his career by asking the simple question.
Who is Tim Duncan?
Duncan didn't start playing basketball until the ninth grade. Dreaming of becoming an Olympic swimmer, he was forced onto the court after Hurricane Hugo destroyed the only Olympic-sized pool in his hometown of Saint Croix in the U.S Virgin Islands.
Timmy would be a force on the court, eventually securing a full ride to the Wake Forest Demon Deacons, where he won the Naismith College Player of the Year and the USBWA College Player of the Year award for his play during his senior year.
Dominant right from the get-go, Duncan was an easy selection for the 1998 NBA Rookie of the Year Award. Other awards include five NBA Championships, two NBA MVP awards, three NBA Finals MVPs, Fifteen NBA All-Star Selections, and being the only player to be selected to All-NBA and All-Defensive Teams for 13 consecutive seasons. He was also selected for 1st Team All-Defense and 1st Team All-NBA seven times during his career. Duncan enjoyed a long career and contributed to two championships fifteen years apart in his career (1999, 2014). He was continuously clutch and fit in perfectly with the blue-collar aspect of San Antonio Fans.
So let's answer the question, did Tim Duncan's bland public persona lead to a lower-than-average price for his most expensive basketball cards? Keep reading to find out.
1997-98 Metal Universe Precious Metal Gems Emerald #66 Tim Duncan Rookie Card (#03/10) – BGS NM-MT 8
$218,400.00
Tim Duncan's most expensive basketball card ever sold is a 1997-98 Emerald Metal Universe Basketball Card with an NM-MT value of 8. It sold for $218,400 on April 5th, 2021.
Let's look at what GoldinAuctions had to say about Tim Duncan's most expensive basketball card.
Graded NM-MT 8 by BGS. Hall of Famer, in a premium Rookie Card appearance. Here's a much sought-after, elite collectible of the San Antonio Spurs superstar who, among many other entries on his stellar resumé, was a 15-time NBA All-Star and twice claimed the league's Most Valuable Player award. The card's BGS condition report: Centering: 9, Corners: 7.5, Edges: 8.5, Surface: 8. The exclusive, limited-edition piece is serial-numbered “03/10.” An extremely rare debut-year entry of the 5-time NBA Champion who played his entire career with a single team. Near Mint to Mint condition.
A fitting tribute considering the impact these three made on each other's careers. This basketball card features the trio who brought five championships to the city of San Antonio and are tied with the Golden State trio with the most Finals wins of all time with 19. This is an impressive card with a near-mint value of 8 and three NBA logo jersey patches and it is the only one of its kind in the world.
And with a significant drop off in price from our most expensive card, you can pick this up for less than $100,000! What a steal!
Did you know you can arguably credit a large part of Manu Ginobli and Tony Parker's career success to Tim Duncan's fear of sharks? Stay with me here. When Duncan's Olympic-sized pool was destroyed, he could have continued training in the ocean, but his fear of sharks ruined his passion for swimming.
1997 Metal Universe Tim Duncan Precious Metal Gems (PMG) Red /90 #66 BGS 9
$85,000.00
A rarity in today's card environment, especially when it comes to high-priced classic cards, this Precious Metal Tim Duncan Rookie was sold in a private sale for $85,000 in January of 2022.
Erik Meyers was the lucky buyer, posting on his Instagram after he purchased the card.
Just agreed to deal to buy my first EVER PMG!!!! His highest graded Red PMG!!!
As he stated, this is the highest-rated Precious Metal Gem Tim Duncan card at an NM-MT of 9, with the Emerald card seen above coming in at an NM-MT of only 8.
Another fun Duncan story. Alongside being known as the Big Fundamental, college opponents used to taunt the stoic big man by referring to him as “Mr. Spock.” I mean, if the shoe fits.
1997 Metal Universe Precious Metal Gems Tim Duncan PMG RED ROOKIE /100 #66 BGS 8
$84,000.00
Are you thinking what I'm thinking? It costs $1000 more to go from a Precious Metal NM 8 to the highest-graded Precious Metal card. You probably won't be able to purchase it from our guy above for what he paid for, but the fact this card is graded lower yet only has a $1000 difference in the price is wild to me.
Looking more at these precious metal cards, it's interesting that they stick a giant colored circle over the basketball. Questioning the design choice there, like there wasn't enough red for you? Maybe I'm crazy.
Duncan's rookie season was dominant, but unlike most rookies, he played for a contender. In one of the largest strokes of draft luck in NBA history, the San Antonio Spurs secured the first pick after an injury-ridden 1996-97 season. Their best player at the time, David Robinson (a perennial first-team all-NBA center), missed nearly the entire year. This allowed Duncan to fit right into a winning culture and extend San Antonio's window of dominance for the entirety of the 2000s.
1997/98 Metal Universe Precious Metal Gems Green #66 Tim Duncan Rookie Card (#002/100) – PSA EX-MT 6
$79,200.00
The #2 card of the 100 produced in the Emerald Precious Metals Collection, this card suffers a steep drop in price and a steep drop in NM-MT, coming in at a 6-graded rating. You'll save a pretty penny, at least. Still, unfortunately, a lot of these Tim Duncan Emerald Precious Metals suffer from a litany of production mark-ups and other errors that alter the integrity of the cards themselves.
Our first foray into the PSA GEM MT 10 category, this Platinum Medallion Tim Duncan Rookie card features a photo-op of Duncan posing in the pre-season.
Tim Duncan 1997 Rookie TOPPS Chrome Refractor High End (PSA 10)
$36,000.00
Look at that reflection, baby! This rare card shows a rookie Tim Duncan in his first of fifteen all-star selections. At this point in NBA history, only twenty-five players have been selected to the all-star game in their rookie season. Tim Duncan was number 23, and only Yao Ming and Blake Griffin have been chosen since Tim was in 1997. You'll notice this puts him alongside all-time greats, players such as Larry Bird, Shaquille O'Neal, and even Michael Jordan. He's even among NBA legend John Johnson! (kidding).
1997-98 Upper Deck SPx Grand Finale #37 Tim Duncan Rookie Card (#37/50) – PSA GEM MT 10 – Pop 1
$34,800.00
With a population of 50 total cards, only six have been registered in PSA's Census reporting. This is the highest rated at a GEM MT 10.
Let's look at what GoldinAuctions had to say about this unique Tim Duncan basketball card.
Graded GEM MT 10 by PSA. Hall of Famer. Rookie Card. Among the six copies of this card in PSA's census reporting, this is the sole example to achieve this superlative grade. San Antonio Spurs legend and five-time NBA Finals champion Tim Duncan stars on this Upper Deck SPx Grand Finale debut-year collectible. Duncan was truly a star of the millennium, molding his own shape into the San Antonio Spurs and leading them to five NBA Finals championships during his tenure as a player. The limited-edition piece is serial-numbered “37/50.”
1997 E-X2001 Essential Credentials Now #75 Time Duncan (#27/75) – MT 9.5
$30,343.00
This lot of 75 cards contains only seven that have earned a GEM mint 9.5 by Beckett. With little to no flaws present, the beautiful coloring and sharp corners make it very appealing to look at. As you can tell, the Big Fundamental is probably gearing up for an explosive two-dribble spin hook shot. Or maybe his signature face-up bank shot. Exciting stuff.
PWCC does a great job of describing the investment opportunity of a card of this caliber.
Looking like it was just pulled out of a pack, this card oozes freshness and uncirculated attributes. The centering is 50-50, all four corners are pin-point sharp and the periphery is blemish free. The surfaces appear deserving of a higher sub-grade with virtually zero visible wear present. Tim Duncan is the key rookie from the immortal issue and widely considered a top ten player of all-time. He defined one of Basketball's most successful franchises for almost 20 years and led the San Antonio Spurs to five NBA championships. A viable alternative investment piece which seems poised for growth in today's market.
1997-98 Skybox Metal Universe Championship Precious Metal Gems PMG #72 Tim Duncan Rookie Card (#33/50) – BGS NM-MT+ 8.5
$26,400.00
Another action shot of the big man, this +8.5 graded Metal Universe card isn't as highly sought after as the Emerald and Red Precious Metal Gem Tim Duncan Basketball Cards. However, it is still a worthy piece for any avid Tim Duncan fan.
1997-98 Flair Showcase “Legacy Collection” Row 2 #5 Tim Duncan Rookie Card (#070/100) Population ‘1 of 1' – PSA GEM MINT 10
$26,400.00
This is a perfect example of some of the points I've been making. TheFlair Showcase searched through every game picture of Tim Duncan in his rookie year, and this was the headshot they decided perfectly encapsulates Duncan's emotions during an NBA game. This is actually in the middle of an outburst.
Another less often seen GEM MT-10, this flair showcase legacy collection card is a great collector's item. The card's coloring and the superstar's layering offer a great visual contrast appealing to the eye. It's as appealing to the eye as Timmy's game was to 56-year-old YMCA post players still dominating the hardwood.
2012-13 National Treasures Colossal Tim Duncan GU NBA LOGO MAN Patch 1/4 Spurs
$20,988.00
The final card on our list is this 2012-13 season NBA Logoman patch card from National Treasures. Is a list genuinely complete without a Logoman patch card making it? I don't think so. Tim Duncan doesn't look like he's aged a minute since his rookie card shots, and honestly, he's still putting up the same shots in the post 15+ years into his career.
Writing this list has been a joy, as Tim Duncan was one of my favorite players growing up. He showed an era of young sport-obsessed children that you didn't have to be the loudest and brashest competitor to inspire and lead teams to wins. You can also do it with a quiet competitive fire that Tim used to build a career on team chemistry and championship trophies.
As with all my most expensive card lists, I like to give an overview of different cards from different sets. If you find errors, I've likely skipped over duplicates and consecutive series of the same cards. Once again, thanks for reading.
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