8 Most Expensive Kevin Garnett Basketball Cards

Kevin Garnett is a universally beloved NBA player. He's delivered some of the most iconic quotes in NBA history (ANYTHING IS PAWSSSSAAABLLLEEEEEE) and (allegedly) told another NBA player that his wife tastes like honey nut cheerios. All in all, his historic career was capped off with an NBA championship after sacrificing for the lowly Minnesota Timberwolves for far too long. He was recognized as a first ballot hall of famer after retiring in 2016. But with the explosion of the value of basketball cards, I wanted to look into Kevin Garnetts' most expensive basketball cards that have ever been sold. 

But before we detail the surprisingly expensive list, let's look back at Garnett's career and why his cards are worth as much as they are today. 

Who is Kevin Garnett?

Kevin Garnett is known as one of the league's premier high-intensity guys. Seriously, watch some highlights of Garnett to understand how crazy this guy looks as soon as he steps on the court. My memory of Garnett will always go to the fact that in a league with some truly lethargic players loafing around, barely breaking a sweat, you simply had to look at Kevin Garnett warming up pre-game to see what actual hard work is. The man would be pouring sweat before the opening tip-off, ramming his head into the stanchion, and hyping himself to the degree that regular humans will never understand. 

Kevin Garnett played 21 seasons in the NBA and will be remembered as one of the best power forwards in history. He is one of only five NBA players to have won both the NBA Most Valuable Player Award (2004) and the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award (2008) in their career. 

Garnett was a high-profile recruit coming out of high school after winning the National Player of the Year award. After his senior prom, he decided to skip the college experience and declared for the draft. He was the first high school-to-NBA player since Moses Malone in 1974. 

Garnett spent a large part of his career on the middling Minnesota Timberwolves, unable to find much success until the 2004 season when he almost single-handily pushed the team to the Western Conference Finals. The lack of success wasn't entirely his fault, as the Timberwolves received one of the largest fines in NBA history for illegally negotiating a contract, which lost them five first-round draft picks as a penalty. Luckily for Garnett, he was traded to a competent franchise, the Boston Celtics, who instantly became title contenders and won the NBA title the same year he was traded. Garnett became part of another blockbuster trade later in his career when the Celtics dumped Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett, the same duo that propelled them to a title, to the Brooklyn Nets to push for another title in the twilight of their respective careers. He bounced around after an unsuccessful Brooklyn stint, eventually retiring in 2016.

Over his NBA Career, Garnett made 15 All-Star Games, won the All-Star MVP in 2003, made the All-NBA Team nine times, and the NBA All-Defensive Team 12 times.

Now let's get to the most expensive Kevin Garnett basketball cards ever sold.

1. 2009 Exquisite Triple Logoman LeBron James Kevin Durant Garnett PATCH 1/1 PSA 9

The most expensive Kevin Garnett Basketball Card ever sold is a 2009 Exquisite Triple Logoman Patch Upper Deck featuring Lebron James, Kevin Durant, and Kevin Garnett. It sold for $198,000 on October 23rd, 2021. 

You might've seen this card on our list of the Most Expensive Kevin Durant Basketball Cards in the world, except unlike Garnetts, it's much further down. And if you're wondering if you'd even find it on Lebron James Most Expensive Basketball Cards ever sold, here's a hint, you won't. It's not nearly expensive enough to grace the Chosen Ones' high-priced cards.

This is an excellent example of Kevin Garnett's greatness as an NBA player. He was good enough to be featured on a basketball card with Kevin Durant and Lebron James, two of his generation's top players and two who will finish in the top-15 players in league history. But Garnett isn't at that level. He was close, but the fact that this card is the most expensive Kevin Garnett basketball card ever sold, and it doesn't even sniff the prices of Lebron James cards says a lot about the gap between the two players.

This card also offers us an excellent showcase of the incredible price rise that collectible basketball cards have seen over the last couple of years. It won't be featured again on this list (although it has been sold at a price high enough to make it), but in April 2018, it was sold for $35,896. That's an incredible $150,000 gain in only three years. That's a great investment. 

2. 2010 Upper Deck “Exquisite Collection” Larry Bird/Kevin Garnett Dual Signed Game Used Logoman Patch Card (#1/1)

 

The second most expensive Kevin Garnett basketball card ever sold is a 2009-10 Exquisite Collection All-NBA Acess Dual Logo Autograph featuring two Celtics legends, Kevin Garnett and Larry Bird. The card sold for $85,200 on January 28th, 2022.

 

Similar to the most expensive Kevin Garnett card featuring both Lebron and KD, the 2nd most expensive card also offers a unique insight into the career of KG. Garnett became a Celtic legend when he helped the team hang a banner. While he didn't come close to the number of championships, Larry Legend managed to hang; he enamored himself among Boston faithful to the same level Larry did.

 

Here's the description of the card from the Goldin Auction website:

Encapsulated by BGS. Hall of Famer. Larry Bird has penned a bold, blue ink signature at the right side on the obverse of this ultra-premium collectible, and fellow superstar Kevin Garnett has added his own strong name scripting to the left. The collectible's cardfront presentation also incorporates a pair of bright “Logo Man” jersey patch relics attributed to the acclaimed competitors and worn in NBA game action. A congratulatory statement on the card's back attests to the authenticity of the signatures and genuineness of the patch components, and serves as Upper Deck's COA. The wholly unique, limited-edition piece is serial-numbered “1/1.” A one-of-a-kind tribute to two popular stars, exhibiting superior presentation quality.

With 25 cards in this set available, this is the most expensive that has been sold. The PSA 10 makes it the highest grade of all of the cards featuring the three NBA hall of famers along with their three authentic autographs. 

Another hilarious sign of Garnett's greatness is his ability to be good enough to get featured on a basketball card alongside Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant. Unfortunately, the value of this card falls $1.4 million short of being Michael Jordan's most expensive basketball card ever sold. 

4. 1997-98 SkyBox Metal Universe Precious Metal Gems (PMG) Red #109 Kevin Garnett (#072/100) – BGS NM 7

$29,400.00

The precious metals collection is one of the most recognizable for NBA card collectors, and the prices usually reflect that. Garnett's is no different, as his Red Precious Metal Gems card sold for $29,400 on August 6th, 2022. 

This card was part of Skybox's inaugural production of the Precious Metal Gems cards that have exploded in popularity. They are easily the most desired cards of the 1990s era of NBA players. Considering this specific card is numbered 072/100 and comes in at a subpar PSA 7, you'd expect one of the 100 produced cards with a higher PSA value to supplant this card on this list if it's ever listed. 

5. 2003 Exquisite Collection Limited Logos Kevin Garnett PATCH AUTO /75 #KG BGS 9.5

$22,800.00

Kevin Garnetts MVP season was one of the best years any NBA player has ever had the honor to submit. He picked up the MVP award, made All-NBA First Team and All-Defensive First Team, and averaged an absurd 24 points, 14 rebounds, 5 assists, 1.5 steals, and 2.2 blocks per game. He led the league in rebounds per game, total points (1987) with only 43 threes taken, field goals, and field goal attempts (804/1611).

All that being said, it's no surprise that Garnett's basketball card that encapsulates such a historic season is worth such a pretty penny. On January 23rd, 2022, this card sold for $22,800. With a PSA GEM MT of 9.5, it's one of only four cards to have received such a high rating, which you can see in the PWCC description below.

Well known for his intensity, defensive ability, and versatility, Kevin Garnett is regarded as one of the greatest power forwards of all-time. Garnett, who spent his first dozen NBA seasons with the Minnesota Timberwolves, competed well against all-time greats the likes of: Michael Jordan, Allen Iverson, Kobe Bryant, and LeBron James. Furthermore, Garnett won a NBA championship in 2008 and is a 15X All-Star. Offered is a spectacular example of one of Kevin's most attractive and valuable patch autographed cards. This Limited Logos insert from inaugural Exquisite Collection basketball is serial stamped 74/75 and is encased in a BGS 9.5 holder. Currently there are only four examples in existence that have earned the elite BGS assessment—incredibly scarcity for one of The Big Ticket's most coveted productions. Upon viewing this card, we Instantaneously recognized the elite game-used jersey patch which is embedded within—Timberwolves patches from the era rank among the best all-time in our opinion. Resting just below the patch window is Garnett's autograph which has been boldly penned in blue ink and does not deviate from its pristine assessment. All told, this card impresses us and is recommended with tremendous enthusiasm.

6. 2004-05 SP Signature Six Star Signatures Kobe Bryant/Michael Jordan/LeBron James/Kevin Garnett/Magic Johnson/Carmelo Anthony Multi-Signed Card (#2/5)

$21,600.00

 

If you're looking for value, look no further than this basketball card. This features six hall of fame signatures. That's basically six times the value!

 

Joking aside, this card has some pretty incredible players. We've got Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, Lebron James, Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, and Carmelo Anthony. It sold for $21,600 on October 22nd, 2022.

7. 1997-98 FLAIR SHOWCASE #4 KEVIN GARNETT ROW 2 MASTERPIECES 1/1 BGS 8.5

$21,400.00

This card from Garnett's 1997-98 season showcases a rim-running KG on his way to what I assume to be an explosive dunk. Its 8.5 NM-MT+ rating is excellent, and it sold for $21,400 on April 10th, 2022. In the 1997-98 season, Garnett blossomed into a superstar and franchise player. It started with Garnett and his agent turning down a contract worth $102 million over six years. An incredible risk, it paid off big time for Garnett, as the Timberwolves offered an unparalleled (at the time) $126 million over six years. This was the largest contract ever given at the time, and many analysts believed it was way too much money to provide a single player. Not only did Garnett impact the league on the court, but his versatility also led to off-court labor disputes surrounding the incredible price of his contract, eventually leading to the lockout-shortened 1998-99 NBA season. However, Garnett was able to block out the noise while averaging 18-10-4-2-2 per game during the 1997-98 campaign while leading the Timberwolves to their first-ever winning record (45-37) in franchise history. 

2008-09 Upper Deck Black Veteran Signed Jersey 8. Pieces Dual White #DJV-BG Kobe Bryant/Kevin Garnett Dual-Signed Game-Used Patch Card (#1/1) – PSA Authentic

$20,400.00

 

Kevin Garnett shares this 2008 Upper Deck Black Veteran card with fellow hall of famer/rival Kobe Bryant. It's a unique 1 of 1 that sold for $20,400 on July 16th, 2002. Both signatures don't appear on the card itself but on the patch of jersey selected for the basketball card, which is an excellent touch.

 

Kevin Garnett and Kobe Bryant have a lot of similarities. Both entered the NBA straight out of high school. Both showcased an intensity that was unmatched by their peers. Both were considered insane by many but were incredibly dedicated to their craft, placing themselves among the truly elite players in history. Combined, these two players made 33 All-Star Games, Six NBA Championships (5 for Kobe, 1 for Garnett), and two league MVP awards. 

 

They also matched up for two Finals against each other, both winning one apiece. In 2008, the year the Celtics beat the Lakers, Garnett picked up the Defensive Player of the Year award heading into the playoffs. He finished third in MVP voting that season behind Chris Paul and, who else, Kobe Bryant. He usurped the Lakesr with a historic series-winning performance by dropping 26 points and 14 rebounds in Game 6. This was Garnett's peak, and for good measure, we'll end this list by linking to the most iconic post-game interview of all time. Enjoy. 

 

 

Thanks for reading. Do you think Kevin Garnett is the greatest power forward to ever play in the NBA? Let me know in the comments below! And be sure to check out my writing at HoopMaestro for more NBA-related content!