The most expensive Chris Paul basketball cards feature a unique set of cards, of which only three total exist. While not as high priced as other NBA stars, such as Lebron James' most expensive basketball cards, there's still no way I'll ever be able to afford them. Do you think you might be able to? Keep reading to find out!

Who is Chris Paul?

Chris Paul, also known as “Point God,” is one of the best point guards in NBA history. He currently plays for the Phoenix Suns but has spent time in New Orleans, Los Angeles, Oklahoma City, and Houston during his career. 

He has won the NBA Rookie of the Year Award, an All-Star MVP, two Olympic Gold Medals, and has led the NBA in assists five times and steals a record six times. Among these accomplishments, he has twelve NBA All-Star selections, eleven All-NBA team selections, and nine All-NBA Defensive teams. He is also one of a select number of players that have made the All-NBA First Team and All-Defensive First Team in the same season in their career.

Despite these accolades, Chris Paul is seen as “unclutch” by some fans. He has yet to win the NBA finals, despite having teams capable of going all the way, and has come up short in the clutch several times during his career. While this may be unfair, he has played on teams that have lost series despite being up 3-1. Additionally, with a chance to beat the Golden State Warriors super-team of Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, and Klay Thompson, he sustained an injury that led him to sit out key games. The Rockets would go on to lose the series. 

His most notable off-court NBA moment involves being dealt to the Los Angeles Lakers in 2011 to team up with Kobe Bryant and Dwight Howard, which the NBA controversially voided. He was then traded to the cross-town team, the Los Angeles Clippers, where he enjoyed the best seasons of his career.

His shortcomings aside, he is still easily one of the top 75 players of all time, as recognized when he was named to the NBA's 75th Anniversary Team. Every team he has played for has set their franchise wins record while he was a member of the time. For these reasons, he will become an all-time great player and leader.

Chris Paul played for Wake Forest during his collegiate career before being picked 4th overall in the 2005 NBA draft by the New Orleans Hornets.

The Most Expensive Chris Paul Basketball Cards Ever Sold

2005-06 UD “Exquisite Collection” Rookie Patch Autograph (RPA) Parallel #46-AP Chris Paul Signed Game Used Patch Rookie Card (#1/3) – BGS MINT 9/BGS 10

The most expensive Chris Paul basketball card ever sold is a 2005-2006 Exquisite Collection Rookie Parallel Card, featuring a jersey patch and autograph, which sold for $124,230. 

Unfortunately for many players, the team they played their rookie season with is usually not their most iconic stop. You have to wonder if the value of the Chris Paul cards would be higher if the team that drafted him ended up being the Clippers, the team he had the most impact on. Remember, he is, without a doubt, the Los Angeles Clipper's greatest franchise player. 

That being said, let's take a look at the description, taken from the GoldinAuctions lot detail:

Graded MINT 9 by BGS, with signature graded “10” by Beckett. A super-premium Rookie Card. This “Exquisite Collection” Parallel collectible boasts a visually inspiring, NBA game-worn patch and a brilliant blue ink Chris Paul signature (to which the star has added his jersey number, “#3”) on its front. The card's BGS condition report: Centering: 9, Corners: 9, Edges: 9.5, Surface: 9. A congratulatory statement on the card's back attests to the authenticity of the signature and the genuineness of the patch component, and serves as Upper Deck's COA. The limited-edition piece is serial-numbered “1/3.” Mint condition.

Overall, this is a fantastic card and the most expensive Chris Paul basketball card ever sold. My opinion? I absolutely love the color scheme of the old New Orleans Hornets. Great jersey. 

2005-06 UD “Exquisite Collection” Rookie Patch Autograph (RPA) Parallel #46-AP Chris Paul Signed Game Used Patch Rookie Card (#3/3) – Paul's Jersey Number! – BGS NM-MT 8/BGS 10

$87,600.00

Similar to the card above, this Chris Paul Exquisite Collection only managed an 8 MINT rating, which brought the price down quite a bit. 

Funnily enough, when we look at the full listed title of the card, I'd like to point out the “Paul's Jersey Number” portion. With the serial number 3/3 card, it's hilarious to see the seller attempt to wring every ounce of value. Is it special in any way that its serial number is the same as Paul's jersey number? I wonder if it had any factor in the high price. 

I'm not a fan of the jersey patch in this card, but hey, there's no way I could afford it anyway!

2005-06 UD “Exquisite Collection” Rainbow #46 Chris Paul Rookie Card (#1/1) – BGS NEAR MINT+ 7.5

$54,000.00

No jersey patch on this one, but it's still a part of the Exquisite Collection that sits atop the list of the most expensive Chris Paul basketball cards. This card features a differently colored background, and while the name “Rainbow” doesn't seem to be true, the color is a beautiful choice. 

An expensive card with only a near-mint rating of 7.5, the lack of a jersey patch and signature really drives the price of this beautiful basketball card down. 

2009 UD Exquisite Dual Logoman Chris Paul & John Stockton PATCH AUTO 1/1 BGS 8.5

$52,800.00

This card features two of the greatest passers in NBA history. John Stockton sits on top of the list with 15,806 total assists. Jason Kidd is second with 12,091. Chris Paul is third at 10,977 and will undoubtedly be higher after he plays his 18th season. It'll be tough to reach Jason Kidd, and honestly, I don't think any player will be able to beat John Stockton's record, but we'll see. 

 

It's a great card if you're into the history of the point guard position. These two players are true floor generals who are great at finding teammates and getting them easy scoring opportunities. The record books will show you otherwise if you don't believe me. 

 

The card features two beautiful NBA jersey patches to go along with both players' signatures. With an 8.5 mint rating, this card is in great condition and truly valuable addition to anyone's collection. 

2005-06 UD “Exquisite Collection” Rookie Patch Autograph (RPA) #46-AP Chris Paul Signed Rookie Patch Card (#2/3) – BGS MINT 9/BGS 10

$40,590.00

If you're a fan of Meatloaf, you'll know 2 outta 3 ain't bad. Not in this case. All three of these Exquisite Collection Rookie Patch cards have made their way onto this list. 

 

This also answers our question of whether being serial numbered 3/3 is worth anything. The value of this card is lower than the one mentioned above, despite being a higher mint value! In fact, it's of equal mint value to our number one spot but is worth almost $80,000 less. Does that make it a steal?

 

If we're talking about steals, Chris Paul is 4th all-time in the history of the NBA. He trails John Stockton, Jason Kidd, and Michael Jordan. Now he is only 59 steals behind Mike heading into this season, so I wouldn't be surprised if he passes him this year. But similar to the all-time assists leaderboard, it'll be hard to surpass Jason Kidd and John Stockton.

 

2005-06 UD “Exquisite Collection” Limited Logos #LL-CP Chris Paul Signed Patch Rookie Card (#41/50) – PSA GEM MT 10, PSA/DNA 10

$27,060.00

 

Our first GEM MT 10 to grace this list, this rookie card features an event-worn patch relic. This basketball card is truly beautiful, but not as rare as the 3/3 cards on top of this list. This card has 50 in production, but this is the highest-cost card because of the high MINT rating.

 

Thanks again for reading; if you're interested in more high-priced basketball cards, be sure to check out my author page or the rest of the articles here at Ventured.com.