10 Basketball Cards to Buy Right Now
From a $70 Jordan to his $5,500 Fleer rookie, these are the top 10 basketball cards to buy in October.
The NBA season opens Oct. 20 with LeBron James's 76ers playing at the champion Knicks. Cooper Flagg starts his second year, and collectors can chase his rookie card in the first Topps Chrome basketball set since Topps took the NBA license back from Panini in 2025.
I've spread the picks out by price, from cards that cost under $100 to cards that cost up to $5,000. It's important that we report on cards that are obtainable for everyone in this monthly article. All prices are derived from recent sales of the card through Oct. 12.1
Updated on Oct. 12, 2026.
What the odds mean for these cards
| If this happens | Polymarket / Kalshi | Cards on this list |
|---|---|---|
| Wembanyama wins the 2026-27 MVP | Not listed / 31.5% | Wembanyama PSA 10 |
| Gilgeous-Alexander wins a third straight MVP | Not listed / 15.5% | Gilgeous-Alexander PSA 9 |
| Dončić wins the MVP | Not listed / 15% | Dončić PSA 10 |
| 76ers win the 2027 title | 11.1% / 12.5% | James Chrome PSA 9 |
| Knicks repeat as champions | 11.5% / 8.5% | Brunson PSA 9 |
| Lakers win the 2027 title | 2.4% / 3.5% | Dončić PSA 10 |
The MVP race is where these cards can still move this season, with Wembanyama the favorite and Gilgeous-Alexander and Dončić chasing him. Every one of these title bets is a long shot this early, so the championship odds won't do much for James or Brunson until the playoff picture takes shape.
Budget picks
1. Jalen Brunson, 2018-19 Prizm rookie, PSA 9
Ten PSA 9 copies sold for $50 USD to $125 USD between Sept. 23 and Oct. 12, making this an affordable way to own the reigning Finals MVP's rookie card. Most sold for $76 USD to $95 USD.
Brunson's rookie card in Panini's 2018-19 Prizm set carries one of the best underdog stories in basketball. Dallas drafted him in the second round in 2018, and in June he was Finals MVP as the Knicks beat the Spurs 4-1 for their first title since 1973.
Brunson's card market is already priced in for the title. What would move it next is a repeat, and Polymarket gives the Knicks an 11.5 percent chance of one, behind the Spurs and the Thunder. If you want to swing bigger, PSA 10 copies sold for about $500 USD in mid-September.
2. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, 2018-19 Prizm rookie, PSA 9
Gilgeous-Alexander's PSA 9 rookie sold for $36 USD to $47 USD between Oct. 8 and 12. The 30 most recent copies sold for a median of $40.86 USD, and at about a sixth of what a PSA 10 costs, a PSA 9 is a bargain for a back-to-back MVP's rookie card.
In May, Gilgeous-Alexander became one of 14 players to win the MVP two years running, and Kalshi gives him a 15.5 percent chance at a third, behind Victor Wembanyama. Only Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain and Larry Bird have ever won three straight, so a third would put SGA in rare company.
SGA can make his case for a third straight MVP right away, with the Thunder's season opening at San Antonio on Oct. 20 against Wembanyama's Spurs.
3. Michael Jordan, 1989-90 Hoops, PSA 9
Nine PSA 9 copies sold for $58 USD to $85 USD on Oct. 11 and 12, so this is the easiest way to add a graded Michael Jordan to your collection.
Jordan's 1989-90 Hoops card sells dozens of times a week, making it easy to price and even easier to find.
Hoops printed it in enormous numbers, which means the price follows demand for Jordan himself rather than scarcity, and I'd bet on that demand holding as the industry gets new entrants and existing collectors build out their collections. Jordan is always a safe bet for as long as people collect basketball cards.
Mid-range picks
4. Cooper Flagg, 2025-26 Topps Chrome rookie, PSA 10
Flagg's PSA 10 rookie sold for $255 USD to $325 USD in 10 sales from Oct. 10 to 12. Most sold for about $300 USD.
Flagg averaged 21.0 points and became the youngest player to score 50 in a game on his way to Rookie of the Year in April. I'm expecting a regression in year 2 as defenses study his tendencies and organize their strategies to stop him day in and day out. Flagg will need to respond in kind as he develops into the superstar many expect him to be.
PSA 10 copies consistently sell, with 30 sold in the past eight days, but more graded copies from newly opened boxes could push the price down as supply goes up. Don't overpay to get your Flagg card.
5. Victor Wembanyama, 2023-24 Prizm rookie, PSA 10
Four PSA 10 copies sold for $370 USD to $405 USD on Oct. 12.
Wembanyama was an MVP finalist last season and took the Spurs to the Finals. Kalshi makes him this season's MVP favorite at 31.5 percent. For a generational talent, his PSA 10 Prizm rookie is the mid-range card I'd want most going into the season.
6. Luka Dončić, 2018-19 Prizm rookie, PSA 10
Between Oct. 8 and 12, Dončić's PSA 10 rookie sold eight times on a tight spread, for $200 USD to $215 USD.
Dončić starts his first Lakers season without James. The next era of Lakers basketball has begun. The worry is his body, since he exited two preseason games against Sacramento, on Oct. 5 and Oct. 8, with a bruised right quadriceps, months after a left hamstring injury sidelined him during the Lakers' playoff run.
One copy sold for $320 USD on Oct. 7, well above the rest, but most copies sold near $200 USD, so don't let that outlier set your price. Hold firm at the table or on your bids.
7. Kobe Bryant, 1996-97 Topps rookie, PSA 9
Kobe's Topps rookie is consistently liquid, with 30 PSA 9 copies selling in the nine days through Oct. 12, while the latest 11 sold for $336 USD to $420 USD on Oct. 11 and 12.
Kobe's card market moves like an index. Similar to Griffey Jr. in baseball, there will always be demand, so the main risk is a pullback across the whole card market. For any Mamba fan, this is a rookie card you buy and keep.
High-end picks
8. LeBron James, 2003-04 Topps Chrome rookie, PSA 9
James's Chrome rookie sold for $4,320 USD to $5,000 USD in seven PSA 9 sales between Oct. 8 and 11.
James played his first preseason game for the 76ers on Oct. 8, scoring 10 points in 18 minutes at Brooklyn. That night, Goldin sold a PSA 10 of his orange 2025-26 Topps Chrome autograph for $148,840 USD, so collectors are clearly still paying up for the GOAT.
James turns 42 in December, so collectors have long since priced in his retirement, and as our Mike Ditka piece showed, news everyone saw coming can spark a rush that fades fast. Even so, a PSA 9 of his Chrome rookie is an obtainable piece of the King's legacy that belongs in any serious basketball collection.
9. Larry Bird, Julius Erving and Magic Johnson, 1980-81 Topps, PSA 7
Bird's PSA 7 card sold 10 times for $2,000 USD to $3,003 USD between Sept. 23 and Oct. 11.
This three-player card holds rookie-year panels of Bird and Magic, with Erving in the middle, and for a fan of '80s basketball it's about as iconic as cardboard gets.
Because Topps perforated the card so the panels could be torn apart, many copies are off-center, which makes a well-centered copy worth paying up for. One PSA 7 sold for $2,275 USD on Sept. 27, the day before another sold for $2,938 USD.
10. Michael Jordan, 1986-87 Fleer rookie, PSA 2
There is no basketball top 10 without the Jordan rookie. Four PSA 2 copies sold on eBay for $5,101.03 USD to $6,196.89 USD between Oct. 4 and 11.
A low grade is how most collectors can afford the grail of basketball cards, with 11 PSA 2 copies of Jordan's Fleer rookie sold since Sept. 1.
Reprints of this card turn up in sales listings, so check its PSA certification number before you buy, especially with this much money on the line.
We'll update this list every month.
Notes
- Prices are completed sales on eBay, Fanatics Collect and Goldin, checked on Oct. 12, 2026, against the recent sales recorded for each card at the same grade. Auction-house prices include the buyer's premium. Prediction-market odds are from Polymarket and Kalshi, read between 10:07 and 10:13 a.m. Pacific on Oct. 12. ↩
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