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Victor Wembanyama Rookie Card Sells for $5 Million During NBA Playoffs

By Kameron Duncan Men's Journal

The San Antonio Spurs have been one of the NBA's best stories this season, and they're currently two wins away from the franchise's first NBA Finals appearance since 2014.

The Spurs are led by their extraordinary young center Victor Wembanyama, whose combination of size and skill has wowed basketball fans around the world.

Wembanyama is an All-Star and unanimously won the league's Defensive Player of the Year award this season, but his sights are firmly set on a championship with his teammates.

As the Spurs continue to pursue the title, Wembanyama has become a hot commodity in the trading card hobby. Fans are looking to invest in the NBA's next big thing, and Wembanyama appears to be well on his way to becoming the face of the league.

During a potential championship season, one of Wembanyama's rarest and most-sought after cards has recently sold for a price that's as eye-opening as some of his highlights on the court.

Wembanyama's Rare Card Sells for Millions

Fanatics Collect brokered a private sale for Wembanyama's 1-of-1 2023-24 Panini Prizm Black parallel rookie card, and the card sold for $5.11 million. The card was authenticated and graded by PSA at a 10 (the highest possible grade), and the sale is believed to be the most expensive in history for a non-autographed NBA card.

Wembanyama's 1-of-1 rookie card shatters the previous record for one of his cards, previously set at $860,100 for another 1-of-1 variant in the same 2023-24 Panini Prizm set.

The buyer, who spoke to The Athletic anonymously, believes in Wembanyama's potential to become an all-time great, and sees the card as an investment into one of the most promising young players in basketball.

"There's a sort of obvious ceiling for him, just as an athlete, that I think is higher than most people that are like the ordained superstars, like the next guy that we anticipate them being pantheon people," the buyer said.

"Like Cooper Flagg, for example. Or (someone who) didn't pan out from a few years ago like when Zion Williamson came in and there was a lot of talk about him. If you take all these players and you say, ‘What's their ceiling?'
I think Victor Wembanyama's (ceiling) is substantially higher."

Sports Card Sales Are Breaking New Ground

The Wembanyama card is the third known sports card to sell for at least $5 million this year. A 1-of-1 2013 Bowman Chrome card signed by New York Yankees star Aaron Judge sold for $5.2 million in another Fanatics Collect sale, and a 1909 Honus Wagner card sold for $5.12 million at auction.

The top sports card sale of all time belongs to a 1-of-1 card featuring memorabilia and autographs from both Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan. The card in question - from the 2007-08 Upper Deck Exquisite set - sold for a staggering $12.9 million at auction last August.

Wembanyama and the Spurs will look to build on their momentum after a dominant Game 4 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Finals. Fans can tune in to the series' all-important Game 5 on Tuesday night, with tip-off set for 8:30 PM ET on NBC.

This story was originally published by Men's Journal on May 26, 2026, where it first appeared in the Collectibles section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

2026 The Arena Group Holdings, Inc. All rights reserved.

This story was originally published May 26, 2026 at 1:34 PM.

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