Believe it or not, there was a time when rookie basketball cards were about as exciting to your average hobbyist as that checklist they pulled from their last wax pack.
Indeed, back in the 1980s, during the original hobby boom, it was tough for even the hottest of basketball players to make much noise in a market dominated by baseball cards. Heck, even football was a distant, distant second to the diamond when it came to capturing collector hearts … and dollars.
It took a good long while, and some of the most exciting stars in NBA history, but the tide slowly began to turn.
A large part of the credit for that has to go to Michael Jordan (who else?), whose first Threepeat with the Chicago Bulls elevated him to basketball legend status. Even then, though, Jordan’s 1986-87 Fleer rookie card didn’t sell for much more than the RCs of the latest baseball phenom.
Upper Deck issued a baseball card of Jordan in 1991, though, and it instantly became a hobby favorite and began to shine light on other hoops cards.
When Jordan retired from baseball in the mid-1990s and headed to the diamond, his star — and his basketball cards — rose even further.
By the time Air Jordan returned to the court a year later, Shaquille O’Neal and other young stars were really starting to light up the hobby with their own rookie cards.
The 25+ years since have seen hoops continued to eat into baseball’s hobby market share, with huge names like Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Luka Doncic, and many others flooding the buckets with their shots and the market with their rookie cards.
Today, you can pretty much count on every basketball product yielding a crop of new rookie cards that continue to drive the market forward.
And you can find nearly all of those cards for sale through various online venues … but, of course, there’s still one leading marketplace when it comes to where collectors turn to find our next cardboard conquests.
Yeah, it’s eBay, no doubt.
And, as you can see from the 25 most watched rookie basketball cards on eBay right now, the hoops market shows no signs of slowing down. Check back often, too, as these listings are updated on a continual basis.

Michael Jordan 1986-87 Fleer Rookie Card RC 57 BGS 9 MINT w/ 9.5 BULLS HOF
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Watchers: 191 # of Bids: 33Current Bid: $9780 Auction Ends: 26-May-2022 03:05 See full listing on eBay (affiliate link) |
2018-19 Panini Noir Spotlight Signatures Luka Doncic RC Gold On Card AUTO /99
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Watchers: 162 # of Bids: 48Current Bid: $1963 Auction Ends: 25-May-2022 03:05 See full listing on eBay (affiliate link) |
1985 Star #101 Michael Jordan Rookie Card ? PSA NM-MT 8 - NONE HIGHER!
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Watchers: 139 # of Bids: 32Current Bid: $61300 Auction Ends: 27-May-2022 02:05 See full listing on eBay (affiliate link) |
2019 CONTENDERS OPTIC JA MORANT BLUE AUTO RC ROOKIE CARD #16/99 FLAWLESS PSA 10
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Watchers: 132 # of Bids: 21Current Bid: $3494 Auction Ends: 31-May-2022 03:05 See full listing on eBay (affiliate link) |
2019-20 Panini Prizm Ruby Wave #249 Ja Morant Rookie Card RC BGS 10 BLACK LABEL
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Watchers: 130 # of Bids: 37Current Bid: $2025 Auction Ends: 26-May-2022 23:05 See full listing on eBay (affiliate link) |
2021-22 NBA Hoops Cade Cunningham RC Luka Doncic DUAL ON CARD AUTO
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Watchers: 130 # of Bids: 107Current Bid: $4000.01 Auction Ends: 31-May-2022 03:05 See full listing on eBay (affiliate link) |
2009-10 Topps Stephen Curry Rookie Card RC #321 SGC 8 Warriors NM-MT D106
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Watchers: 123 # of Bids: 36Current Bid: $340 Auction Ends: 25-May-2022 01:05 See full listing on eBay (affiliate link) |
2009-10 Topps Stephen Curry Rookie Card RC #321 BGS 9 Warriors MINT D94
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Watchers: 115 # of Bids: 35Current Bid: $988 Auction Ends: 25-May-2022 01:05 See full listing on eBay (affiliate link) |
Jalen Green 2021-22 Kaboom Rookie Card Crown Royale Case Hit Houston Rockets SSP
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Watchers: 109 # of Bids: 21Current Bid: $4050 Auction Ends: 24-May-2022 22:05 See full listing on eBay (affiliate link) |
2018 Panini Flawless Luka Doncic RC Rookie Signed On Card AUTO 1/1 Black Box
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Watchers: 102 # of Bids: 49Current Bid: $2275 Auction Ends: 31-May-2022 03:05 See full listing on eBay (affiliate link) |
2020-21 Panini Flawless Basketball Kevin Durant On Card Auto Ruby /15 STACK SALE
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Watchers: 100 # of Bids: 36Current Bid: $385 Auction Ends: 26-May-2022 00:05 See full listing on eBay (affiliate link) |
2015-16 Panini Flawless Emerald Nikola Jokic RC Rookie On Card AUTO 1/5 PSA 9
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Watchers: 99 # of Bids: 22Current Bid: $1100 Auction Ends: 26-May-2022 03:05 See full listing on eBay (affiliate link) |
JA MORANT 2019 PANINI IMPECCABLE ROOKIE SIGNATURES ON CARD AUTO /99
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Watchers: 95 # of Bids: 32Current Bid: $460 Auction Ends: 25-May-2022 02:05 See full listing on eBay (affiliate link) |
2019-20 Panini Noir Spotlight Ja Morant RC Rookie Auto On Card 77/99
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Watchers: 94 # of Bids: 37Current Bid: $1913 Auction Ends: 26-May-2022 03:05 See full listing on eBay (affiliate link) |
2019 PRIZM JA MORANT AUTO RC BLUE SHIMMER ROOKIE AUTOGRAPH CARD FLAWLESS PSA 10
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Watchers: 88 # of Bids: 30Current Bid: $2651 Auction Ends: 31-May-2022 03:05 See full listing on eBay (affiliate link) |
SHAQUILLE O’NEAL 2020 Panini Origins “Legendary” ON CARD AUTO /49🔥SEALED🔥SSP🔥
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Watchers: 87 # of Bids: 19Current Bid: $161.5 Auction Ends: 30-May-2022 02:05 See full listing on eBay (affiliate link) |
2013-14 Panini Prizm Giannis Antetokounmpo Rookie Card RC #290 Bucks D106
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Watchers: 83 # of Bids: 20Current Bid: $138.5 Auction Ends: 25-May-2022 01:05 See full listing on eBay (affiliate link) |
1996 SKYBOX PREMIUM KOBE BRYANT #55 ROOKIE CARD RC PSA 10 💎 MINT💰💯
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Watchers: 77 # of Bids: 28Current Bid: $391.01 Auction Ends: 26-May-2022 12:05 See full listing on eBay (affiliate link) |
Jayson Tatum 2017-18 Panini Prizm Silver Rookie Card RC 16 PSA 10 GEM MINT
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Watchers: 76 # of Bids: 18Current Bid: $1475 Auction Ends: 26-May-2022 03:05 See full listing on eBay (affiliate link) |
1996 TOPPS CHROME #138 KOBE BRYANT - PSA 10 GEM MINT ROOKIE CARD
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Watchers: 75 # of Bids: 42Current Bid: $5500 Auction Ends: 29-May-2022 01:05 See full listing on eBay (affiliate link) |
2015-16 National Treasures Nikola Jokic RC Rookie Signed On Card AUTO 4/99 PSA 8
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Watchers: 74 # of Bids: 15Current Bid: $785 Auction Ends: 27-May-2022 03:05 See full listing on eBay (affiliate link) |
2018-19 Panini Opulence Luka Doncic RC Rookie 64/99 BGS 8.5 w/ 10 On Card AUTO
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Watchers: 73 # of Bids: 22Current Bid: $930 Auction Ends: 27-May-2022 03:05 See full listing on eBay (affiliate link) |
1992 Upper Deck #1b Shaquille O’Neal PSA 10 Gem Mint Perfect Shaq Trade Card 💎
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Watchers: 72 # of Bids: 28Current Bid: $209.01 Auction Ends: 27-May-2022 03:05 See full listing on eBay (affiliate link) |
1986 Fleer Michael Jordan #57 Rookie Card RC SGC 9 MINT
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Watchers: 72 # of Bids: 21Current Bid: $6389 Auction Ends: 30-May-2022 01:05 See full listing on eBay (affiliate link) |
2021-22 Panini Origins Evan Mobley RC Rookie Signed On Card AUTO 60/99
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Watchers: 72 # of Bids: 40Current Bid: $246.5 Auction Ends: 25-May-2022 03:05 See full listing on eBay (affiliate link) |
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