MODERN BASKETBALL
Steve Nash
2006 Finest #8
Black Refractor 37-of-99
PSA Grade: GEM MT 10
The 2006-07 Finest Basketball set offered a 130-card base set. The first 50 cards feature veteran stars, while the remaining cards are dedicated to rookies. Numbers 51-100 are standard rookies, while #101-#130 are extended exchange rookie cards that are each numbered to 539. Several insert sets were issued with this product and base cards have 13 different parallels. Time has shown Kevin Durant to be the top rookie in the set.
However, this black refractor is of legendary point guard Steve Nash. He was named MVP, again, in the 2005-06 season and was runner-up for a third consecutive MVP to Nowitzki in 2006-07. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest point guards of all time. Nash led the league in assists and free throw percentage at various points in his career. He is also ranked as one of the top players in NBA league history in three-point shooting, free throw shooting, total assists, and assists per game. In 2018 he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
Dwight Howard
2004-05 SP Authentic
Rookie on-card auto 484-of-999
Beckett Card Grade: Pristine 10
Beckett Auto Grade: 10
Centering 10
Edges 10
Corners 10
Surface 9.5
2004 SP Authentic is a 191-card set released in June, 2004. The base set features 101 serial-numbered base cards. Despite the sheer volume of SP’ed rookie cards (56 Future Watch "rookies", all serial-numbered to 999 copies) -- or perhaps because of it -- there are no prominent rookie cards in the set. Dwight Howard chose to forgo college, and enter the 2004 NBA draft being selected first overall by the Orlando Magic. Howard set numerous franchise and league records with the Magic. He led the team to the 2009 NBA Finals.
He was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers, with whom he spent three separate one-year-stints over the course of his career, but won the NBA Finals in 2020. Howard would become an NBA Champion, eight-time All-Star, eight-time All-NBA Team honoree, five-time All-Defensive Team member, and three-time Defensive Player of the Year. He has been regarded as one of the greatest defensive players of all time.
Bennedict Mathurin
2024 Leaf Metal Sports Heroes
#BA-BM1 Red Shimmer
Auto Numbered 25-of-25
CGC Card Grade: GEM MT 10
CGC Auto Grade: 10
The highly anticipated product showcased an amazing spectrum of multi-sport stars, including Shohei Ohtani, Lionel Messi, Conor McGregor, Mookie Betts, Aryna Sabalenka, Carlos Alcaraz, Paul Skenes, Sandy Koufax, Ichiro, and Dan Marino among others.
Mathurin played college basketball for the Arizona Wildcats, where he was named a consensus second-team All-American and Pac-12 Player of the Year after his sophomore season. He was selected by the Pacers with the sixth overall pick in the 2022 NBA draft. He was voted to the NBA All-Rookie First Team in 2023, and finished fourth in voting for the 2023 NBA Rookie of the Year award.
Stephen Curry
2019 Panini Select
Scope Prizm #91
2019-20 Panini Select Basketball is one of the more colorful sets for the sport. Between its base cards, autographs and other inserts, Prizms come into play. They total 12 per hobby box, which averages out to one per pack. Emphasizing hits a little more than some other chromium releases, there are three autographs or memorabilia cards in a hobby box as well.
Curry was expected to take on a greater offensive load in the 2019-20 season with Thompson out injured and Kevin Durant having left the Warriors as a free agent. In Game 3 of the 2019 Finals, Curry scored a playoff career-high 47 points to go with eight rebounds and seven assists in a 123–109 loss to the Toronto Raptors.
Yao Ming
2002 Topps Chrome
Refractor #146A
Beckett Grade: GEM MT 9.5
Centering 9.5
Edges 9.5
Corners 9
Surface 9.5
Randomly seeded in packs at the rate of one in four, this 175-card set parallels the base set enhanced with the rainbow holofoil effect that has become the trade mark of refractor cards. Note: Both "A" and "B" rookie player versions have refractors. Yao Ming was was selected by the Rockets as the first overall pick in the 2002 NBA Draft. He reached the NBA playoffs four times, and the Rockets won the first-round series in the 2009 postseason, their first playoff series victory since 1997. In July 2011, Yao announced his retirement from professional basketball because of a series of foot and ankle injuries which forced him to miss 250 games in his last six seasons. In eight seasons with the Rockets, Yao ranks sixth among franchise leaders in total points and total rebounds, and second in total blocks. Yao was selected to start for the Western Conference in the NBA All-Star Game eight times, and was named to the All-NBA Team five times. During his final season, he was the tallest active player in the NBA, at 7 feet 6 inches.
Lonzo Ball 1-of-5
2017 Panini Crown Royale
Rookie Jerseys – Tags #RJ6
Logoman
PSA Grade: MINT 9
Crown Royale has its’ roots from its days as a Pacific Trading Cards brand in the ’90s where it was one of the more distinct brands in the hobby. The standalone Crown Royale NBA brand was resurrected with 2017-18 Panini Crown Royale basketball set. The product maintains its’ legacy of regal looks and die-cut designs. Last appearing as a full set in 2009-10, the '17-18 Hobby boxes averaged one autograph and one relic. Signatures come hard-signed direct on the card. For parallels, it meant big patches and logos and tags for the scarcest versions.
A point guard, Ball played college basketball for one season with the UCLA Bruins, earning consensus first-team All-American honors before the Lakers selected him with the second overall pick of the 2017 NBA draft.
Carmelo Anthony 540-of-1999
2003 Topps Pristine
Refractor #107
PSA Grade: GEM MT 10
Released in December 2003, Pristine boasted a 199-card set divided up into 100 veteran player cards and 99 rookie player cards. The cards alternate where each player has three cards in a row and the first card is the common, also the rookie card, the second is uncommon sequentially numbered to 999 and the third is rare and sequentially numbered to 499. Pristine was packaged five packs per box where each pack contained three individual packs and cards were inserted as follows: Pack one (the outermost pack) contains one uncirculated Refractor, Relic Refractor or Gold Autograph sealed in a holder. Pack two contains one relic card plus pack three. Pack three contains four Topps Pristine veteran cards plus two Rookie cards.
The top-trending card in 2003 Topps Pristine may currently be the #101 base LeBron James, but Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade follow closely behind in popularity. After one season at Syracuse, Anthony entered the 2003 NBA draft and was selected with the third overall pick by the Denver Nuggets. While playing for Denver, he led the Nuggets to the playoffs every year from 2004 to 2010; the team won two division titles in that span.
Jaime Jaquez Jr.
2023-24 Panini Mosaic
Genesis RC
CGC Grade: MINT 9
2023 Mosaic basketball showcase the newest rookies alongside top veteran and retired stars. Featuring a range of shiny designs, the set highlights both current players and incoming rookies. New subsets include base City Edition, base NBA Great, and base “NBA Debut” which this particular card is a parallel of. A super-short print (SSP) basketball card, the base NBA Debut checklist is short, as in, only 20 players across a few different parallels like the base mosaic, choice peacock mosaic, fast break silver mosaic and the rarer, genesis mosaic.
Playing basketball for the UCLA Bruins, Jaquez was voted Pac-12 Player of the Year in 2023. He was selected by the Head in the first round of the 2023 NBA draft with the 18th overall pick. He is nicknamed “Juan Wick” for his Mexican heritage and perceived resemblance to John Wick.
Bol Bol RC
2019 Panini One and One
Rookie Autographs 35-of-99
PSA Grade: GEM MT 10
2019-20 Panini One and One Basketball puts a bit of a different spin on the One line that’s had a couple of football releases. Autographs are a major focus with one in every two-card box. However, unlike football, they’re not the only thing. Boxes here have an additional base card, parallel or insert. Hence the “and One.” With one card being signed, the second card is a non-hit. This included base cards and parallels for star veterans and rookies. The Rookie Autographs set checklist was limited to only 20 cards which were serial numbered #/99.
In high school, Bol was considered one of the best players in the class of 2018, having been rated a consensus five-star recruit and earning McDonald’s All-American honors. A center listed at 7 feet 3 inches, he is one of the tallest players in the NBA. He was drafted with the 44th pick in the 2019 NBA draft by the Miami Heat, but was traded to the Denver Nuggets on draft day.
Pau Gasol
2001 Topps Chrome
Refractor #131 Autographed
PSA Grade: Authentic
The official rookie cards for Gasol were released in 2001-02 products and the majority of the 30+ cards are found for budget prices. 2001-02 Topps Chrome is also a popular option, and this example is hand-signed. Like most big men in the league, Pau Gasol is largely unappreciated by collectors. Pau Gasol was drafted third overall in the 2001 NBA Draft by the Atlanta Hawks. The Hawks traded his rights to the Memphis Grizzlies and that is where Gasol spent his first years in the NBA. The 2001-02 Rookie of the Year Award and one All-Star appearance gave Gasol some recognition, but it was not until a trade to the Lakers that he made the leap to stardom. The trade is also notable because it included Marc Gasol, Pau's brother, going from LA to Memphis.
Pau Gasol had a great run in Los Angeles, earning three All-Star nods and teaming up with Kobe Bryant to win two NBA titles. Although he was one of the most dominant big men in the league during this time, the Lakers quickly unraveled and Gasol was rumored to be on trading block for some time. This ultimately never occurred and he signed as a free agent with the Chicago Bulls, where he earned another All-Star selection in his first season and has the Bulls primed for a deep playoff run.
Jabari Smith
2022 Upper Deck Metal Universe Champions
Precious Metal Gems -Red
Fresh Foundation 67-of-100
CGC Grade: MINT 9
Upper Deck's retro multi-sport brand hits the collecting world for a second year via 2022 Skybox Metal Universe Champions. Featured sports include baseball, basketball, boxing, football, golf, hockey, MMA, soccer, and tennis. Limited to only 50 players like CJ Stroud, Bryce Young and Nikola Jovic, the “Fresh Foundations” checklist, in Precious Metal Gems red, are all numbered to 100.
In high school, Smith was named a McDonald’s All-American and Mr. Georgia Basketball. The five-star prospect ranked the nation’s number seven overall recruit would commit to Auburn University. As a freshman, he helped the team achieve their first-ever AP poll #1 ranking and an SEC regular season championship. He declared for the 2022 NBA draft, and was selected by the Rockets with the third overall pick.
Jahlil Okafor
2015 National Treasures Collegiate
Material Signatures #355
On-card auto 78-of-99
CGC Auto Grade: 9
CGC Card Grade: MINT 9
Continuing to tap into their NCAA license, 2015 Panini National Treasures College Multi-Sport carries the tradition of the high-end release into a product that featured a variety of schools and sports. Only 30 cards create the college material signatures checklist, all of which are numbered to 99. This multi-color, colossal patch is stunning when paired with a rookie, on-card autograph. College Material Signatures (#/99 or less) pair a relic piece and on-card autograph across the three sports. This card is numbered 78 of 99.
Okafor played his freshman season of college basketball for the 2014-15 Duke national championship team. He was selected with the third overall pick in the 2015 NBA draft by the Philadelphia 76ers.
Elvin Hayes
2024 Leaf Metal Sports Heroes
#BA-EH1 Autograph
White Shimmer numbered 3-of-3
CGC Grade: GEM MT 10
CGC Auto Grade: 9
Among the legends with autographs in Sports Heroes are Sandy Koufax, Joe Montana, John Elway, Nolan Ryan and Floyd Mayweather. There’s also Patrick Ewing whose signature has remained elusive when it comes to trading cards over the years. Hobby boxes are small, delivering just three cards. Many, but not all, of these use Leaf Metal branding and are done on chromium stock. The 2024 Leaf Sports Heroes checklist includes 125 cards, and this particular auto card comes from the base autographs checklist.
Elvin Hayes is a member of the NBA’s 50th and 75th anniversary teams, and is an inductee in the Naismith Hall of Fame. Known for his offensive and defensive prowess, Hayes is often regarded as one of the best power forwards in NBA history. Hayes is also known for his longevity, being seventh all-time in NBA minutes played (at exactly 50,000), and missing only nine games during his 16-season career.
Russell Westbrook 7-of-35
2019-20 Panini Obsidian
Atomic #27
Electric Etch Orange
After making it’s hoops debut as an online exclusive, Obsidian’s standalone sophomore effort had a more traditional distribution plan. The hallmarks of the brand remained the same, though. It has a chrome-like foundation, albeit one that emphasizes a black backdrop versus the usual silver. For those not familiar with Obsidian, the overarching design featured dark backgrounds on chromium stock. In sets like Prizm and Select, backgrounds got the rainbow treatment. When the lights go out, parallels require a different approach. Enter the etching. These lines not only add pop but some colorful opportunities for parallels. This theme ran throughout the checklist, from the base set to the signatures and inserts. The atomic checklist included a short, 40 cards. All serial numbered to 99 or less, the orange electric etch was numbered only to 35. New inserts utilized die-cut designs and were found across Atomic, Pitch Black and Tunnel Vision using the electric etch parallel.
Russell Westbrook averaged 27.2 points, 7.9 rebounds and 7 assists in 57 games across 2019-20. He was selected to play in his ninth All-Star game as well. Being traded in mid-2019 to the Rockets for All-Star Chris Paul, the move reunited him with his former Thunder teammate James Harden. In his second game as a Rocket (October 26th), he became second all-time in career triple-doubles, passing Magic Johnson with a 28-point, 13-assist and 10-rebound performance. Shortly after, on January 20th, his triple-double performance (against his old roster at Oklahoma City) meant he joined LeBron as the only two players to have logged triple-doubles against all 30 NBA teams.
Carmelo Anthony RC
2002 Finest #180
PSA Grade: GEM MT 10
As some of the most eye-catch designs, the 2002-03 Finest cards hold their own through collectors’ eyes. The top two names tracked are LeBron James and Michael Jordan from this set. The top trending card is the #178 LeBron base followed by the #100 Michael Jordan base. However, key rookie cards included: Yao Ming, Amare Stoudemire, Manu Ginobili, Tayshaun Prince, Caron Butler, Jay Williams and others. Also, randomly inserted into packs were redemption cards for the 2003 NBA Draft Lottery that included potential cards of LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade.
After one season at Syracuse, Anthony entered the 2003 NBA draft and was selected with the third overall pick by the Denver Nuggets. While playing for Denver, he led the Nuggets to the playoffs every year from 2004 to 2010; the team won two division titles in that span. In 2009, Anthony led the Nuggets to their first conference finals appearance since 1985. He was named an NBA All-Star ten times, and an All-NBA Team member six times. He played college basketball for the Syracuse Orange, winning a National Championship as a freshman in 2003 while being named the NCAA Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player. In 2021, Carmelo was named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team, and is regarded as one of the greatest scorers in NBA history. Carmelo Anthony played in the Olympics (for the US National team) a record four times, winning a bronze medal with the 2004 squad, and gold medals on the 2008, 2012, and 2016 Olympic teams. As of April 2016, he was the US Olympic team's all-time leader in points, rebounds, and games played. He currently ranks tenth among NBA career scoring leaders.
Yao Ming 1174-of-1500
2002-03 SP Authentic
Autograph card #143
Beckett Card Grade: GEM MT 9.5
Beckett Autograph Grade: 10
Centering 9.5
Edges 9.5
Corners 9.5
Surface 9
This rookie F/X #143 of Yao Ming shows the former 1st overall pick and Hall of Famer in GEM MT condition. With fabulous subgrades, and over 350 submissions, there is only 1 card with a higher grade in existence. Anytime a dark signing area is used, it can make it a bit harder to pick out the signature. This is clear with the green background for Yao Ming's SP Authentic rookie. Despite this, it still is a solid option for collectors. As one of the more plentiful autographs out there at 1,500 copies, this is also the easiest to find and prices are still relatively reasonable.
Yao is one of China's best-known athletes internationally, with sponsorships with several major companies. In April of 2016, he was elected into the Naismith Memorial Basketball all of Fame alongside Shaquille O’Neal and Allen Iverson. In doing so, he became the first Chinese national to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. In February of 2017, he was unanimously elected as chairman of the Chinese Basketball Association.
Jermaine Samuels
2023-24 Panini Contenders
Rookie Ticket Autographs
CGC Card Grade: Pristine 10
CGC Auto Grade: 10
2023-24 Panini Contenders Basketball keeps with tradition. For those familiar with the long-running brand, they’ll know that autographs are a central feature. While more ink from first-year standouts, veterans and retired players is great, many know that it’s the Rookie Ticket Autographs that get much of the attention.
Jermaine Samuels went undrafted in the 2022 NBA Draft out of Villanova and spent his first season with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants in the G League. Samuels played well enough to warrant a two-way contract out of his second season, one he signed with the Houston Rockets.
Blake Griffin
2009 Panini Prestige
Rookie Card #155
PSA Grade: GEM MT 10
The 2009 Panini Prestige basketball set was released on August 7th in 2009. The most highly-sought after rookies on the list were Tyreke Evans, Brandon Jennings, Tyler Hansbrough, and Jordan Hill -capped off by Blake Griffin at #1. Griffin won four high school state titles, and then played two seasons of college basketball for the Sooners before entering the 2009 NBA draft where he was selected by the Clippers. He was named the consensus national college player of the year as a sophomore. He was then selected first overall by the Clippers in the 2009 NBA Draft, and he was a six-time NBA All-Star.
During the final pre-season game of 2009, he broke his left kneecap, had surgery, and therefore missed the entire 2009-10 season. He made his NBA debut as a rookie the following season, in which he was selected as an All-Star, won the NBA Slam Dunk Contest, and was named the NBA Rookie of the Year. In 2011, Sports Illustrated called him “one of the NBA’s 15 Greatest Rookies of All Time.”
Hakeem Olajuwon
2024 Leaf Metal Sports Heroes
College Heroes Autographs
#CH-HO1 Numbered 1-of-3
Platinum Blue Shimmer
CGC Card Grade: GEM MT 10
CGC Auto Grade: 10
The “college heroes autographs” checklist featured only 20 players. The ‘shimmer’ parallel, in Platinum Blue, are numbered to 10 or less. Hobby boxes were small, delivering just three cards. Many, but not all, of these use Leaf Metal branding and are done on chromium stock.
From 1984 to 2002, Olajuwon played Center and led the Rockets to back-to-back NBA championships in 1994 and 1995. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008. He is widely-considered to be one of the greatest centers, as well as one of te greatest basketball players of all time.