One of the most priciest basketball trading cards ever? That’s Michael Jordan’s signed 2003 Upper Deck Ultimate Collection Logoman. Back in June 2024, it went under the hammer at Goldin 100 Auction. Over 38 bids flew in, even past the 10 p.m. deadline! The final price hit $2.4 million, but with Goldin’s 22% buyer’s fee, it jumped to $2.9 million. Now, the closest challenger? None other than a Kobe Bryant card.
BREAKING NEWS
A collector just spent $2.3 MILLION on Kobe Bryant’s most valuable card ever.
The sale happened privately – shattering the previous record, a 1997-98 Precious Metal Gems Emerald Kobe, which sold for $2M in 2022.
Now, three years later… a new Kobe card… pic.twitter.com/j9vWMoBGoD
— Fanatics Collect (@FanaticsCollect) August 13, 2025
Before all these record-breaking Kobe cards, the spotlight was on his 1996-97 Topps Chrome Refractor rookie card, graded BGS 10 with a black label. It sold for $1.795 million at auction and was one of only two ever to get that top Beckett rating. Pretty impressive, right? But now, collectors are buzzing over something that could blow all previous records out of the water—a card featuring both Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant.
CBS News reports that a rare Michael Jordan-Kobe dual autograph card from the Upper Deck Exquisite line is going up for bidding at Heritage’s Summer Platinum Night Sports Auction between August 23–24. This isn’t just any card—it has autographs of both legends plus two NBA logos made from jersey patches, including the gold 50th anniversary style from 1996 to 97. Heritage’s Jason Simonds calls it “the masterpiece of all UD Exquisite” cards and “arguably the single best modern card ever made.” Estimates suggest it could fetch a jaw-dropping $6 million, making it a potential record-breaker for the entire basketball card world. And it’s not only Kobe’s cards that are grabbing headlines this year.
Kobe Bryant’s Rookie Jersey Breaks Records
In April, Kobe Bryant’s NBA debut jersey made headlines after selling for a staggering $7 million at auction. Sotheby’s confirmed the sale, calling it a record for any Lakers-related memorabilia. The previous record was $5.85 million for Bryant’s signed, game-worn jersey from the 2007-08 season, when he won his only NBA MVP award.
This rookie jersey has been photo-matched to Bryant’s first NBA season in 1996-97, when an 18-year-old Kobe wore the iconic yellow No. 8 during his first media day, preseason debut, and regular season debut on November 3, 1996, plus four other games. Fun fact—he played six minutes in that debut and scored zero points on 0-1 shooting against the Timberwolves, according to ESPN.
Sotheby’s describes the jersey as a “bridge between the raw potential of a teenage prodigy and the refined greatness that would follow.” The jersey had previously sold for just $115,242 in 2012, so its value has skyrocketed. Brahm Wachter, Sotheby’s head of modern collectibles, said, “Early rookie jerseys represent the genesis of an athlete’s career. For collectors in search of true one-of-one treasures, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to own iconic pieces of basketball history.” He added, “Debut games are something every athlete experiences just once in their career journey, and is a moment where the hype of their pre-professional career finally comes to bear in the big leagues.”
In the larger world of sports jerseys, Kobe’s debut jersey now ranks fourth most expensive, behind Babe Ruth’s “called shot” jersey ($24 million), Michael Jordan’s 1998 NBA Finals jersey ($10.1 million), and Diego Maradona’s 1986 World Cup Argentina shirt ($9.3 million). Interestingly, it even beats Michael Jordan’s own debut season jersey, which sold for just over $4 million in March. From a quiet start of six minutes and no points to one of the most valuable pieces of basketball history, this jersey really tells the story of Kobe’s journey from rookie to legend.
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