Football
Feb 5, 2026
Back in 2022, HBO sold its Lakers drama, Winning Time, as a fast-break look at the team’s 1980s dynasty. Cardboard touting Los Angeles purple and gold has been in its showtime era ever since.
The team’s winning ways, combined with LeBron James’ move to the west coast, the subsequent arrival of Luka Doncic, and the meteoric rise of vintage NBA cards in recent years certainly helped!
As with all things Hollywood, the list of the most valuable Los Angeles Lakers cards ever sold is full of glitz and glam. And while there’s plenty of debate as to the best Lakers player of all-time, the list of the most valuable Lakers cards ever sold starts with none other than Kobe Bryant. His one-of-one 2007-08 Upper Deck Exquisite Dual Logoman shared with Michael Jordan fetched $12.932 million at Heritage Auctions in August of 2025, making it the most expensive sports card ever sold. Two more Lakers superstars—former and current—dominate the rest of the top five: LeBron James, with a $10 million Dual Logoman shared with Jordan, a $6.5 million card shared with Kobe, and a $5.2 million rookie patch auto; and Luka Doncic, with a $4.7 million Logoman. Further down the roster, a Wilt Chamberlain rookie card went for $1.7 million, a dual Larry Bird/Magic Johnson rookie card went for more than $840,000, and a George Mikan 1948 rookie card went for $800,000.
A quick note before tip-off: For a franchise defined by transcendent superstars, true collectors chase the legend—not just the jersey. That’s why this list ranks the most valuable cards featuring a Lakers legend, which, naturally, means there are a lot of rookie cards and dual autographs featuring Lakers superstars playing for another team (or alongside a rival). For example, LeBron’s rookie patch auto features Cleveland Cavaliers wine and gold, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s rookie still has him listed as Lew Alcindor of the Milwaukee Bucks. And because Kobe, LeBron, and Luka account for so many of the franchise’s seven-figure sales, we’ve given the rest of the roster its own section further down.
Time to get your auction paddle ready.
The Top-5 Most Valuable Cards Featuring Lakers Legends:
#1. 2007-08 Upper Deck Exquisite Collection Dual Logoman Michael Jordan / Kobe Bryant 1/1: $12.93 million
The Black Mamba owns the top spot on this list, and it’s not even close. The Jordan/Bryant Dual Logoman, is a 1/1 with game-worn Logoman patches and autographs from arguably the best players to ever play the game—or at the very least, the most beloved. Interestingly, the card’s closeness to these players outweighed its grade of a PSA 6 (albeit with the autographs graded at a 10). Both of these players have commanded huge sums individually, so it's unsurprising that a combo card set the record.
If you're hunting for Kobe Bryant cards on Courtyard, several iconic ‘90s inserts are currently circulating on our marketplace, as well as within our graded Basketball Packs.
#2. 2006-07 Upper Deck Exquisite Collection Dual Logoman Michael Jordan / LeBron James 1/1 (PSA 5): $10 million
Another Jordan Dual Logoman has joined the eight-figure club. This 1/1 pairs MJ with LeBron and sold privately for $10 million in September of 2025, while LeBron was still a Laker, to an investment group, making it the most ever paid for a card featuring LeBron. Originally purchased raw, the card has since been graded a PSA 5 (with the autographs graded at a 9).
His Airness needs no introduction—but if your Michael Jordan collection could use some work, Courtyard is a great place to start. Check out our marketplace to see if you can score a deal, and find Michael Jordan cards from multiple decades in our graded Basketball Packs.
#3. 2007-08 Upper Deck Exquisite Collection Dual Logoman Kobe Bryant / LeBron James 1/1 (PSA 8): $6.5 million
The two never shared a locker room, but they’ve shared plenty of cardboard—and this one is the newest entry on the list. The 1/1 Kobe/LeBron Dual Logoman Autograph spent nearly two decades in a private collection before surfacing in the spring of 2026, earned a PSA 8 (with the autographs graded at a 10) in August, and sold at an Alt auction on September 25 for $6,501,840 including the buyer’s premium. That’s a record for a card featuring both players, but still only roughly half of what the Jordan/Kobe Dual Logoman fetched a year earlier.
Looking for an entry point into the LeBron card market? Or maybe you want the $66,000 2024 Donruss Optic Downtown Gold LeBron card (PSA 10) found in our Basketball Mythic Pack. Either way, there are plenty of cards from The King on Courtyard.
#4. 2003-04 Upper Deck LeBron James Exquisite Rookie Patch Autograph /23 (BGS 9): $5.2 million
A BGS 9 of LeBron James’ 2003-04 Upper Deck Exquisite Rookie Patch Autograph parallel, numbered to 23, sold privately through PWCC in 2021. The King commands high prices, even if some place him a peg below Jordan or Kobe. A better-graded copy (BGS 9.5) hit $2.928 million at Goldin in June, the most ever for a LeBron card at public auction, and a Triple Logoman 1/1 featuring patches from his Cavaliers, Heat, and Lakers jerseys sold for $2.4 million in 2022. Will Topps find a way to create a Quad Logoman now that LeBron has joined the Philadelphia 76ers?
#5. 2018-19 Panini Flawless Logoman Autograph Luka Doncic 1/1: $4.7 million
Luka’s 2018-19 Flawless Logoman Autograph 1/1, a game-used patch card, sold privately in October of 2025 making it the most expensive Doncic card ever. It edged out his 2018-19 National Treasures Logoman Rookie Patch Auto 1/1, which sold privately in early 2021 for $4.6 million—then the most ever paid for a basketball card—only to be topped by the LeBron rookie patch auto just a few months later. When that card hit a public auction in 2022, it brought in $3.12 million. However, since Luka has landed in Los Angeles—and now that the keys to the city are firmly his thanks to LeBron’s exit—the value of both cards might have changed.
With Luka operating as the face of the franchise, Courtyard has stocked up on a wide variety of cards spanning his career. Grab Luka Doncic cards on our marketplace or chase grails in our graded Basketball Packs.
Just Missing the Cut:
The seven-figure club doesn’t stop at five. A second LeBron /23 rookie patch auto (PSA 9, with the autographs graded at a 10) went for $4.25 million in a private sale in 2025, and a 2003 Exquisite Jordan/Kobe Dual Logoman (PSA 6) brought $3.172 million that same year. Alt paid $3.15 million in April for a 1997-98 SkyBox Metal Universe Precious Metal Gems Green (PSA 5), the most ever paid for a solo Bryant card, while a BGS 10 Black Label of Kobe’s 1996-97 Topps Chrome Refractor rookie sold for $1.79 million in 2021, followed by a BGS 9.5 2012-13 Prizm Gold that recently sold for $1.11 million. But we’re going to save some space on this list for other Lakers greats. It’s what Kobe would’ve wanted.
Beyond the Big Three: More Lakers Legends Worth Chasing:
The Sixth Man - Wilt Chamberlain: $1.7 million
The Big Dipper wears a Philadelphia Warriors uniform on his 1961-62 Fleer rookie card, but he finished his career in purple and gold, starring for the Lakers from 1968 to 1973. His rookie is a seven-figure card: an SGC 10 sold privately through Goldin for $1.7 million in September of 2024, a record for a vintage basketball card. It had sat in a closet for around 60 years before it was graded, and the grade is the highest SGC awards.
Off the Bench - Magic Johnson, George Mikan, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shaquille O’Neal, Jerry West, and Elgin Baylor
Magic Johnson - $840,000+:
Ironic that the player who defined the Showtime era lands just below the million-dollar line. Better yet, this dual rookie card features Magic’s arch rival / friend Larry Bird —along with fellow legend Julius Erving —on a perforated, three-panel piece of cardboard from Topps Basketball’s 1980-81 set. Out of the more than 16,000 copies of this card that have been graded, only 24 have ever earned a PSA 10, and one sold for more than $840,000 at Goldin in 2021.
George Mikan - $800,000:
Before Magic’s Showtime era, and before Kobe became a snake, there was Mr. Basketball—wearing a Minneapolis Lakers jersey. His 1948 Bowman rookie comes from the first-ever widely distributed NBA cards, and a PSA 9 sold on eBay for $800,000 in 2022, nearly double what the lone PSA 10 had brought in via SCP auctions back in 2015.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar - $501,900:
The Skyhook’s 1969-70 Topps #25 rookie card still carries the name Lew Alcindor and a Bucks logo, but this cardboard is NBA royalty. A PSA 10 went for $501,900 at Heritage in August of 2016, and only two PSA 10s exist.
Shaquille O’Neal - $378,200:
Shaq’s market exploded this year, and 2026 isn’t done yet. A 1997-98 SkyBox Metal Universe Precious Metal Gems (PMG) Green #50 (PSA 4), one of only 10 green copies in the set’s run of 100, sold for $378,200 at Goldin in June, more than double the roughly $175,000 the only other recorded green sale brought in 2023. It’s the record for the famed big man, whose ongoing media presence, as well as the rise in vintage basketball cards, could see prices pushed higher.
Jerry West - $54,000:
The Logo himself, Mr. Clutch, saw a 1970-71 Topps PSA 10 set a record at $54,000 in 2024, just two weeks after his death. His 1961 Fleer rookie card has just three PSA 10s in existence.
Elgin Baylor - $23,811:
A PSA 8 of Baylor’s 1961 Fleer rookie sold for $23,811 on eBay just days before he passed in 2021, a reminder of how undervalued the franchise’s first superstar has been—and how recency bias can shape the basketball card market.
The Top Lakers Cards on Courtyard
You don’t need a five-figure budget to get a grail Lakers card. Here are the top-five Lakers cards available in the graded basketball card packs on Courtyard, ranked by their fair market value:
- $66,000: LeBron James – 2024 Panini Donruss Optic Downtown #2 – Gold (PSA 10)
- $16,274: Kobe Bryant – 1997 Metal Universe #81 (PSA 10)
- $13,029: Kobe Bryant – 1998 Skybox Premium That's Jam #14 (PSA 9)
- $9,269: LeBron James – 2023 Panini One and One Downtown #17 (PSA 10)
- $8,984: Kobe Bryant – 1998 Flair Showcase TAKEIT2.Net #5 (PSA 9)
Why Courtyard is the Place to Chase Lakers Cards
The six-figure grails above live in vaults and private collections, but the next great Lakers card is just a rip away on Courtyard. Browse live Lakers cards on the Courtyard collectibles marketplace, where sellers pay 0% fees, or crack open a Basketball Pack featuring a graded NBA card and see who you get.
