The NBA Conference Finals are more than just a clash of elite basketball talents; they’re also a battleground for a different kind of powerhouse: sports card collectors. In the realms of basketball fandom, nothing is hotter right now than the buzz around rare card inserts — Kaboom, Downtown, and Color Blast being some of the most sought after. With only four formidable teams standing — the Oklahoma City Thunder, Minnesota Timberwolves, Indiana Pacers, and New York Knicks — the spotlight is fiercely focused on their franchise stars. As top-tier talents showcase their skills on the court, collectors have their eyes peeled, waiting for market changes that might signal their next big score.
Let’s take a captivating look at each team’s standout player and how their top sports card inserts are faring amid the playoffs. Hold onto your hats, enthusiasts; there’s plenty of action on and off the court.
Starting at the heart of tornado territory, the Oklahoma City Thunder, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has captured hearts and wallets alike. Once a promising guard, Shai has now ascended to god-tier status in both the NBA and card collecting community. The beautiful chaos stirred by Shai’s cards reflects the team’s lightning bolt momentum as they hurdle deeper into the playoffs. His 2023 One and One Downtown insert offers an intriguing spectacle. The raw card has clambered up by 7.4% in the past month, hitting a remarkable $2,500, a noticeable jump from the early May price of $1,950. The PSA 10 of this card, however, experienced a 20% dip, finalizing its price at a still-noteworthy $3,700 as of mid-May. Meanwhile, his Obsidian Black Color Blast has seen a sweet 22% rise, with raw and PSA 10 versions selling at $850 and $1,170 respectively. For the savvy collector who believes OKC might continue its blazing trajectory, there remains a classic window of opportunity to snatch up a PSA 10 Shai card while it’s on a low.
Zooming up north to the land of lakes, Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards, affectionately known as Ant-Man, is swinging with the big boys. The 2020 Crown Royale Rookie Kaboom! card shows his superhero status is deserved and possibly only just beginning. The raw version emerged in March at a confident $2,950. If it’s elevated values you’re watching, his PSA 10 version crawled upwards by 2.5%, finding a new home at $8,923 in early May. His 2020 One of One Rookie Downtown further underscores his value, with a hefty PSA 10 rise of 33%, now sitting pretty at $13,000. Edwards has proven his worth on the court, and a finals appearance could be just the launchpad to catapult his cards further into collector stratosphere.
Swinging eastward, Tyrese Haliburton of the Indiana Pacers has been turning heads with his leadership both on the court and—as hobbyists will attest—in the collector’s world. His characteristically strategic play has paralleled with his card market’s vibrant growth. His 2020 One and One Rookie Downtown, in particular, last sold for $1,500 as a raw card in March, while its PSA 10 counterpart leapt by 40%, recently enjoying a new benchmark at $4,000. His 2023 Spectra Color Blast has also garnished noteworthy sales up to $830 raw, with a PSA 10 at $1,463. Should the Pacers march into the final rounds, the lens of investment potential on Haliburton’s cards may become blindingly bright.
Descending into the concrete jungle that is New York, the spotlight glows profoundly on Jalen Brunson of the Knicks. In classic New York fashion, it’s been an underdog tale with a potential Cinderella ending. The team has ferociously scrapped its way into the Conference Finals, and leading the bulldog charge is Brunson. His Downtown card prices tell a tale of contrasting intrigues, with a 14% dip in raw card sales this past month, settling at an even $1,100. However, the PSA 10 tells a different story entirely—a 35% surge uplifting it to $2,425. How does a collector play this swaying market? Capitalize on the raw card decrease, consider having it graded, and ride the wave—particularly if the Knicks stun the world and claw their way to championship glory. After all, holding onto a Brunson card if they pull off a modern-day miracle might just turn baklava into pure 24-karat gold.
Navigating the world of sports card investment isn’t unlike watching a basketball game. There’s the constant ebb and flow, the quick pivots, and the strategic moves that can make or break a game—or in this case, a collection. As the NBA Conference Finals play out, both on-court performances and their reflections in the card market surge simultaneously, offering enthusiasts an electric arc of both athletic theatre and collector opportunity. Whether you’re a sports fan, a card aficionado, or both, these NBA stars and their cards are definitely playing on a whole new level.