As the NBA’s 2025-26 season ceremoniously opens, basketball aficionados and collectors alike are drumming with excitement—not just for the marquee matchups but for the changing tides in the sports card market. With a star-studded list of players illuminated on opening nights, it’s not just who’s on the court but whose cards are rising or declining in value that can steal the show. A compelling doubleheader sets the stage: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leads the defending champion Thunder against a newly fortified Rockets team featuring Kevin Durant, shortly followed by a clash of the titans as LeBron James and Luka Dončić’s Lakers take on Stephen Curry and the Warriors. While these stars are perennial fixtures on collectors’ radars, recent trends reveal an intriguing shift.
Since September, Beckett Online Price Guide trends have announced a decisive shift in the sports card market landscape, spotlighting four players whose stock is climbing like a never-ending alley-oop and four more whose worth has taken a dribble for the worse.
Making waves back into the limelight is the electrifying French phenomenon, Victor Wembanyama. After an unfortunate hiatus triggered by health woes that benched him for a sizeable chunk of last season, the towering 7-foot-3 Spurs star is poised to capitalize on his third year with possible accolades, specifically a Defensive Player of the Year pursuit. This poised comeback has sent ripples through the collector community, invigorating interest and, consequently, swelling the value of his cards. Bears resembling the 2024-25 Panini Hoops Anti Gravity are rocketing, hand-in-hand with the high expectations of Spurs enthusiasts awaiting a Wembanyama renaissance.
Matas Buzelis, meanwhile, presents an intriguing development narrative. Following a late-season catapult into Chicago’s starting lineup, his trajectory soared faster than a raucous Windy City alley-oop. With an eye-popping increase in performance stats—almost tripling his average points per game—he’s refocused eyes and collector confidence in his ever-expanding role. This repositioning has spurred his card values upward, drawing those with a keen eye for spotting the evolution of emerging talent, shown vividly in items like the 2024-25 Panini Prizms Green 252.
Out west, the Clippers’ acquisition of Bogdan Bogdanovic proved a shrewd one. His ability to inject scoring prowess into an already dynamic squad had collectors acknowledging his revamped worth; cards such as the 2024-25 Panini Mosaic Purple 138 have ascended in tandem with fans’ hopes for another playoff initiation.
Further north, in Minnesota, Terrence Shannon Jr. is glazing with newfound acclaim. Although his start was tepid—picture soup that’s relentlessly too hot then suddenly, perfectly palatable—Shannon proved worthy of the anticipation, staking a claim for a larger share of game time. Similar to Shannon’s impact on the court, interest in his cards is dribbling upwards, mirroring an expansion well-captured by the 2024-25 Select Orange Flash Prizms 78 basking in the spotlight.
However, as any game proves, not everyone’s career path is a straight ascent. High-profile players can see their card values cooling off, settling into a state of collector-induced patient observation.
Reigning MVP Joel Embiid’s stellar prowess feels sadly harbored by a body best described as delicate porcelain. His truncated presence over the last couple of seasons—owing largely to injuries—has naturally been mirrored in a cooled card market. Yet, as the Sixers begin the new season with cautious optimism post-knee surgery, fans await the dawn of healthier days for Embiid, with keen eyes on his 2024-25 Donruss Playmakers card’s potential resurgence.
Zach Edey’s debut was cut short by an ankle injury, sobering his initially measureless rookie hype. While a prospective delay of up to two months looms over his return, some collectors have hit pause, reflecting their patient anticipation in the market. His 2024-25 Panini Prizm Black Purple Ice Prizm 64 remains a collector’s gem waiting to shine once again.
For the Grizzlies, sophomore guard Jaylen Wells’ rookie sizzle—which included surprising and substantial minutes—had collectors riding a wave of expectation. Yet, the trepidation of a sophomore slump is a familiar specter haunting his card value, reflected in recent price adjustments.
Crossing over to Boston, Baylor Scheierman’s modest end-of-season bloom saw him pierce into the starting lineup with competent gusto. However, collectors are adopting a “show me more” stance before elevating his young seats of value, and his 2024-25 Panini Mosaic Rookie Scripts RS-BAY recently reflects this steadier tempo.
With the new NBA season luring everyone to the edge of their seats, it’s a vivid reminder that in the league—and its parallel universe of sports cards—one player’s resurgence can perfectly dovetail with another’s momentary fade, underscoring a market as dynamic and unpredictable as the games themselves. Across the sprawling court of basketball stardom and collectible investments, nothing is quite as thrilling or uncertain as wondering which narrative will next rebound to command the spotlight or invite fresh intrigue.
