The Hottest Basketball Cards to Collect for the 2024-25 Season
The best cards to collect of top current and former basketball players.
The 2024-25 NBA season is underway! Panini is still rolling out some of the most popular basketball releases from the 2023-24 season, and the 2024-25 rookie class will be getting their first official rookie cards soon. So, what are the best basketball cards to collect right now? Continue reading to learn more about collecting and investing in basketball cards, or click here to skip to the best basketball cards to collect right now.
What is the Best Basketball Card Brand?
As of the 2024-25 season, Panini is the best basketball card brand because it is the only company that has a license with both the league and player’s association. This allows Panini to print the team names and logos on their cards, making Panini basketball cards much more valuable than recent cards from any other company.
Fanatics is set to take over the exclusive license in 2026, but until then, you won’t see any team names or logos on Topps basketball cards. Collectors can also find unlicensed basketball cards from Leaf and Wild Card, but these have minimal value if you’re strictly focusing on investing.
Which Panini Basketball Products Offer the Best Value?
There are more than 20 basketball card products under the Panini umbrella, with low-end, high-end, and many options in between. Each product offers a unique design and different inserts and can range in value for different types of collectors. However, some products have widespread appeal that all basketball fans will love.
Panini Prizm, Select, and Mosaic are classic products that are popular with both casual collectors and serious investors. The retail versions of these three products give you an affordable way to collect a variety of the most popular Panini cards. While retail products offer an affordable, low-stakes way to collect cards, investors hunting for autographs or other hits will find more value in hobby boxes.
Generally speaking, hobby products have a much higher return on investment than retail offerings. Many ultra-premium Panini products, like Flawless, Immaculate, and National Treasures, only come in hobby versions. These high-end boxes can cost thousands of dollars for only a handful of cards, making them a high-risk, high-reward purchase.
Collectors looking for a fun rip and unique cards can find value in reasonably priced Panini products like Chronicles, Hoops, and Revolution. The paper versions of Donruss and Contenders also give fans a cheaper way to collect the popular Rated Rookie and Rookie Ticket cards.
Investing in Sealed Basketball Boxes vs. Singles
The most cost-effective way to collect specific players is to buy singles. This strategy allows you to target individual players without paying a premium for a sealed box. However, sealed boxes are the way to go if you’re looking to capitalize on an entire rookie class that you believe has long-term potential.
Buying sealed basketball card boxes, holding them long term, then selling the sealed products will almost always provide a higher return on investment than if you opened the packs and sold the cards individually. Collectors will pay a premium for the chance to pull a big card, even if the odds are slim. Once the box is opened, the value on the cards inside is usually worth less than the value of the sealed box.
Once you decide what your investing goals are, you’ll know whether to buy sealed basketball boxes or singles of the players you’re interested in.
Best Basketball Cards to Collect: Boxes & Packs
Rookie classes can make or break a whole year’s worth of product, so you need to understand which rookies you can pull before buying a box. Basketball card products released from the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons will be the easiest to find, but there’s value to be made in some older sets.
If you’re looking for the best basketball cards to collect that will retain value over time, consider boxes from some of the following sets:
- 1957 Topps
- 1961 Fleer
- 1969 Topps
- 1980 Topps
- 1986 Fleer
- 1996-97 Topps Chrome
- 2003-04 Upper Deck Exquisite
- 2012-13 Panini Prizm
- 2018-19 Panini Prizm
- 2023-24 Panini Prizm
Finding authentic factory-sealed boxes from the older sets can be difficult and expensive, so looking for singles from the top rookies in each set might be easier. The 1957 Topps set is known for having Bill Russell’s rookie card. In 1961 Fleer, Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry West, and Oscar Robertson are the rookies to collect.
In 1969 Topps, Lew Alcindor (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) made his rookie card debut on the classic tallboy card. Larry Bird, Julius Erving, and Magic Johnson are on one iconic card in 1980 Topps, which is considered the rookie card for Bird and Johnson.
If you’re looking for the best basketball card of all time to collect, that’s Michael Jordan’s rookie card in 1986 Fleer. But be careful! It’s also one of the most counterfeited sports cards of all time.
Best Basketball Cards to Collect: Current and Former NBA Players
When considering what basketball cards to collect, you want to narrow it down to a few top players. Basketball card investors are picky, so not every great player is a worthy investment. Usually, only a few rookies in each class are worth your time and money.
Here are some of the most valuable basketball players to collect:
- Young Stars: Victor Wembanyama, Anthony Edwards, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Lamelo Ball, Paolo Banchero, Cade Cunningham, Tyrese Haliburton
- Future Hall of Famers: LeBron James, Steph Curry, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Luka Doncic, Kevin Durant, Nikola Jokic
- All-Time Greats: Michael Jordan, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry West, Oscar Robertson, Larry Bird, Julius Erving, Magic Johnson, Kobe Bryant
What are the Best Basketball Cards to Collect?
Millions of basketball cards are out there, but the key is to decide what you want to focus on. If you have a few favorite players, you might enjoy collecting their classic rookie cards or other unique cards you can find. If you’re looking at basketball cards through a more investment-focused lens, you might prefer to target players you think are undervalued or on the cusp of a breakout season. However you decide what basketball cards to collect, check out the AA Mint Cards online store for new cards to add to your collection.
