Most Expensive Basketball Trading Cards Sold at Auction (All Time)

About This Dataset

Basketball trading cards ranked by sale price at auction in millions of USD. A Luka Doncic 2018-19 Prizm Silver Rookie card sold for $4.6 million in 2021, briefly making it the most valuable basketball card ever sold. However, Michael Jordan's 1986-87 Fleer Rookie card in PSA Gem Mint 10 condition sold for $738,000 in 2021 — a record for Jordan himself — with the broader market for high-grade Jordan, LeBron, and Doncic rookie cards tracking closely to professional sports investment indices.

✨ AI Insight

The disparity in auction prices among basketball trading cards is striking, with LeBron James' card at $5.2 million significantly outpacing the rest. Luka Doncic follows at $4.6 million, illustrating the growing interest in modern players compared to legends like Michael Jordan, whose 1986-87 Fleer Rookie card sold for only $738,000. This trend suggests a shift in collector preferences, as younger fans gravitate towards contemporary stars. Additionally, the presence of cards from players like Giannis Antetokounmpo and Stephen Curry, which sold for $1.81 million and $1.79 million respectively, indicates a healthy market for high-grade rookie cards across different eras, even as some older cards struggle to reach similar heights.

Source: Wikipedia

Key Findings

Auto-computed highlights from this dataset

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LeBron James 2003-04 Exquisite RC Auto leads with 5 in 2024.

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Average value in 2024: 1 · median: 1.

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2021 recorded the highest combined total across all categories.

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Gap in 2024: LeBron James 2003-04 Exquisite RC Auto is 8.4× larger than Victor Wembanyama 2023-24 Prizm Silver Auto.

Most Expensive Basketball Trading Cards Sold at Auction (All Time)

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Data Insights Below

Data Insights

Numbers, trends & sources behind this chart

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Data Points

8 categories · 3 years

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Top Value

5.20

LeBron James 2003-04 Exquisite RC Auto

Auction Price (Million USD) · 2022

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Metrics

Auction Price (Million USD)

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Period

2021 – 2024

3 years of data

Rankings & Full Data

8 records · Auction Price (Million USD) · ranked by 2024

✓ 8 sourced

#	Category	2021	2022	2024	Change
🥇	LeBron James 2003-04 Exquisite RC Auto	—	5.20	—	—
🥈	Luka Doncic 2018-19 Prizm Silver RC Auto	4.60	—	—	—
🥉	Giannis Antetokounmpo 2012-13 Prizm RC	1.81	—	—	—
4	Stephen Curry 2009-10 National Treasures RC Auto	1.79	—	—	—
5	Kobe Bryant 1996-97 Topps Chrome RC (PSA 10)	—	1.40	—	—
6	Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 1969-70 Topps RC (PSA 9)	0.97	—	—	—
7	Michael Jordan 1986-87 Fleer RC (PSA 10)	0.74	—	—	—
8	Victor Wembanyama 2023-24 Prizm Silver Auto	—	—	0.62	—