Jordan, Kobe & LeBron pace early-season NBA card demand. Andrew Gretchko Watching LeBron James in a Philadelphia 76ers jersey has been like one giant Rocky montage: One minute he's getting booed, the next he's yelling back at fans, reminding them he's from Ohio. The King isn't playing games this year. With the fourth edition of the NBA Cup tipping off tonight, Prime Video is bringing Courtyard, Inc. a doubleheader that reads like a collector's wish list: LeBron's 76ers host Jalen Brunson and the defending-champion Knicks at 7:30 p.m. ET, followed by LeBron James' Luka Doncic's Lakers visiting Stephen Curry's Warriors at 10:00 p.m. ET. It's exactly the type of drama the Association is trying to stir up, and 10 days into the young NBA season, the fans are loving it. With the release of Courtyard's Basketball Cup Tournament Pack ($49) - which feature bounties on chase cards from superstars Luka, LeBron, Steph, as well as rising star JV Edgecombe - Courtyard, Inc. dug into its data to give basketball card collectors insights into how early-season action on the hardwood is affecting NBA cardboard. As it turns out, a player that hasn't scored a point since 2003 tops LeBron and the rest of today's superstars. Since the season topped off just under two weeks ago, Michael Jordan has been the most searched basketball player on Courtyard, followed by Kobe Bryant and LeBron. Those searches have led to sales, too: A Jordan sticker card from 1986 recently sold on Courtyard for more than $3,000, with the seller taking home the full amount thanks to Courtyard's 0% seller fees. No, it's not the Champions League. Yes, the court designs are crazy. Ladies and gentlemen, The NBA Cup is back! Michael Jordan tops NBA searches on Courtyard. The 2026-27 NBA season tipped off on October 20th, and while it has featured plenty of superstars - from LeBron and Kevin Durant to Victor Wembanyama and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander - the most-searched player on Courtyard over the past 10 days hasn't touched the court in more than two decades. Between October 20th and October 30th, Michael Jordan, His Airness himself, was the most-searched basketball player on its platform. While that won't settle the GOAT debate for everyone, it does show where basketball card collectors' allegiance lie. As for the rest of the list, it turns out Ant scoring 45 points in the season opener to become just the third player in league history to drop 40+ in multiple openers (joining Jordan and Wilt Chamberlain) got the people going. Maybe that's why Courtyard, Inc. can't stop thinking about the 2020 Panini Select Anthony Edwards Rookie Signatures Gold Prizm rookie card hidden in its basketball packs. What a gem! Flagg collectors weren't deterred by what initially looked like a rough injury, while Doncic's most recent league-leading points barrage wasn't enough to crack the top-five, placing him at seventh, behind Steph but above SGA, Shaquille O'Neal, and Tyrese Maxey. Top secondary basketball card sales on Courtyard. Courtyard has 0% selling fees, making it an attractive destination for those looking to meet basketball card buyers hungry for dunks, blocks, steals, and the chase cards that capture them, and since the start of the season, basketball searches on Courtyard have quickly turned into sales. Courtyard, Inc. tracked down the three-biggest peer-to-peer sales on its marketplace since the start of the season. * $3,250: 1986 Fleer Sticker #8 Michael Jordan (PSA 8 NM-MT) * $1,273: 2003 Topps #221 LeBron James (PSA 9 MINT) * $1,150: 2020 Panini Prizm #258 Anthony Edwards - Silver Prizm (PSA 10 GEM MINT) Since Jordan topped basketball-related searches on Courtyard since the start of the season, it's no surprise that one of his cards was the top sale, too. Similarly, LeBron will seemingly always have demand, especially while he's still on the court, but Anthony Edwards' appearance is a testament to the power of timely on-court hustle turning into high-end sales. NBA Cup storylines: 2003 Upper Deck LeBron James rookie exclusive #1 PSA 10 GEM MINT. The King's move to a new city hasn't cooled collector interest in Courtyard's third-most-searched player through the start of the season. Want to turn back the clock with a coveted LeBron rookie card? Chase the 2003 Upper Deck Rookie Exclusives card available in the Basketball Cup Tournament Pack. 2024 donruss optic Luka Doncic alter ego #1 (PSA 10 GEM MINT). As great as Luka's been during his nine NBA seasons, he's never earned anything more than a personal accolade. While being named as the 2019 NBA Rookie of the Year, making the All-NBA First Team six times, and earning two scoring titles, he doesn't have a ring. The NBA Cup isn't exactly the Larry O'Brien, but this would be a nice addition to his mantel. 2024 NBA hoops Stephen Curry presentations #3 (PSA 10 GEM MINT): Can Steph's hot hand help the Warriors beat the Lakers - and ultimately lift the NBA Cup trophy? If so, they'll have to rely on rookie sensation Yaxel Lendeborg to shoulder part of the load. Steph's on fire, but he can't do it all himself, and this kid is legit. 2025 Panini instant NBA VJ Edgecombe draft night autograph (PSA 9 MINT). The 76ers are loaded with superstars, from newcomers like LeBron and Jaylen Brown, to mainstays like The Process himself (Joel Embiid) and Tyrese Maxey - but don't forget about last year's enigmatic rookie: VJ Edgecombe. Right from the jump, he played meaningful minutes, which has prepared him to partner up with some of the game's greats this year. Now, you've got a chance to chase one of his rookie autos. Chase the NBA Cup on Courtyard: The NBA is a league of stars - and storylines. With nearly as much drama as WWE, there's always something for fans to watch, and the addition of the NBA Cup has given fans even more to follow. Available this weekend, the Basketball Cup Tournament Pack brings four bounties to chase, with those that pull and hold Luka Doncic or LeBron James until 8:00 p.m. ET on Sunday, November 1st set to win 40k Courtyard Points, and those that pull and hold Stephen Curry or VJ Edgecombe set to win 20k Courtyard Points. Ready for the NBA Cup? Follow Courtyard, Inc. on Instagram and let Courtyard, Inc. know who you think will win it all. Oct 25, 2026 Jul 27, 2026 Jul 16, 2026

2025-26 Topps Stadium Club Basketball: Preorder Date, Beam Team & top rookies. Andrew Gretchko During the 1960s, Star Trek popularized the phrase "Beam me up, Scotty." ...or did it? Somehow, the famous line was never actually said on the show. That's a bit of pop trivia for you - alongside Nicki Minaj's use of the "quote" as the title of her breakout mixtape four decades later. In-between countless pop culture references is Topps' 1992 debut of the famous Beam Team set found in Stadium Club Basketball. Now, Beam Team is nearing its triumphant return. Topps' NBA trading card license takeover last fall coincided with the meteoric rise of the Michael Jordan market, and ever since fans have speculated that some of the iconic sets from MJ's heyday could make their way to modern cardboard. On October 27th, 2025-26 Topps Stadium Club Basketball will have its first new release since the 2007-2008 season - and Beam Team is back! 2025-26 Topps Stadium Club Basketball - Quick Facts: * Preorder Date: October 27, 2026 * Product Type: Hobby and Blaster Boxes * Autograph Format: TBD - likely on-card * Key Rookie Cards: Cooper Flagg, Kon Knueppel, VJ Edgecome, Dylan Harper, Ace Bailey * Headlining SSP Inserts: Beam Team and Pure Focus Following early October's highly anticipated preorder for Topps Flagship Basketball, which was so hyped it crashed Topps' site, the 2026-27 NBA season is officially underway. Not one to be left out of the fun, Courtyard is celebrating with an NBA Opening Week Pack featuring a pair of 1985 deadstock Air Jordan 1s in the "Chicago" colorway, and, of course, a Beam Team Jordan. However, the preorder for the newest edition of Stadium Club Basketball is actually one of the final releases of the 2025-26 season, which is why you'll find the highly-coveted RC mark next to cards from last season's Rookie of the Year Cooper Flagg, runner-up Kon Knueppel, rising 76ers star VJ Edgecombe, Spurs playoff standout Dylan Harper, Ace Bailey, and more. While Topps has yet to release the full checklist just yet, Courtyard, Inc. is filling in the blanks with the cards they've teased, a history lesson on the Stadium Club cards of yesteryear, and a little speculation, too. "Live long and prosper," basketball fans. Hoops are back! The history of Stadium Club Basketball and the 1992 Beam Team debut. Back in 1992, during the first of Jordan's three-peats, Topps regained the NBA trading card license after relinquishing it following the 1981-82 season. With the junk wax era in full swing, the New York City-based brand wanted to capitalize on His Airness' success, and returned with two products: a regular set and a more premium offering called Stadium Club. Stadium Club was a literal club: a mail-in membership program for collectors willing to pay $29.95 and provide 10 proof-of-purchase seals from Topps pack wrappers in order to receive exclusive card sets and other perks. This was high-end, and it was the real deal. Featuring borderless action photography, the inaugural Stadium Club Basketball Series 2 release featured just a single insert: a nod to the laser-filled halftime show that Topps sponsored at NBA games that season: Beam Team. The set's 21-card checklist included nine of the 12 members of the Dream Team, with Michael Jordan at #1 and a rookie Shaquille O'Neal at #21. Side note: Like most things vintage hoops, Shaq rookies have exploded in popularity this year, as collectors have flocked back to old releases like Stadium Club Basketball, among others. Topps kept Stadium Club Basketball going through the 2007-08 season, with a Chrome version showing up in 1998-99 and 1999-00, but after Topps lost the NBA license following the 2009-10 season, Stadium Club Basketball sat idle. Until now. Topps has the NBA trading card license once again, and they've wasted no time giving the people what they want: a whole lot of chrome. From Chrome and Chrome Update, to Chrome Sapphire Edition and the first-ever Chrome Black Basketball, Topps has dropped plenty of goods for hoops heads to chase over the past year - but Stadium Club is different. 2025-26 Topps Stadium Club Basketball: teased checklist, Inserts & pack odds. In 2024, Topps Stadium Club Baseball released a Beam Team insert designed as an homage to the 1992-93 basketball original; it was also featured in 2025 Stadium Club Baseball, and is even making an appearance in the forthcoming 2026 Topps Stadium Club WWE release. For baseball, its hit rate was roughly one in every 256 packs, the toughest insert to find in the set, and while Courtyard, Inc. don't have the odds for 2025-26 Topps Stadium Club Basketball just yet, Topps has listed Beam Team as a super short print, alongside Pure Focus, and Courtyard, Inc. can imagine it will be incredibly rare. Going off of Checklist Insider's rundown of Topps' teasers for the new set, Courtyard, Inc. is anticipating on-card autographs as a focal point, including autographs in parallels like Orange (/25) and Black (/10), along with Chrome Autographs with Gold Refractor parallels (/50), the new Rookie Polaroid Autographs, Lone Star Signatures, and Co-Signers, which will feature dual autographs. Please wake Courtyard, Inc. if Courtyard, Inc. start daydreaming about a Cooper Flagg x Kon Knueppel dual auto card. Duke fans that watched the former college teammates star together at Cameron Indoor Stadium will never recover. Going off of Stadium Club Baseball, Courtyard, Inc. can also expect on-card autos for base and Chrome autographs, a change from the days of Panini sticker autos, although 2025-26 Topps Chrome Basketball did feature sticker autos, so Courtyard, Inc.'ll see what's in store. Stadium Club Chrome Basketball: the rare 1998-2000 era. While Courtyard, Inc. wait for the preorder - and ship date - of 2025-26 Topps Stadium Club Basketball, basketball fans on Courtyard already know that there are plenty of throwback Stadium Club Basketball cards to chase. Here are the best Stadium Club Basketball cards currently available in Courtyard's Basketball Packs, ranked by their fair market value: * $6,748: Michael Jordan - 1992 Stadium Club Beam Team #1 (BGS 9.5) * $4,720: Shaquille O'Neal - 1992 Stadium Club Beam Team Rookie Card #21 Members Only (PSA 9) * $1,955: Shaquille O'Neal - 1992 Stadium Club Rookie Card #247 Members Only (PSA 10) * $1,785: Michael Jordan - 1992 Stadium Club Beam Team #1 (PSA 8) * $1,391: Michael Jordan - 1992 Stadium Club Beam Team #1 (PSA 7) Stadium Club Chrome: the '90s edition. Unlike Stadium Club, Stadium Club Chrome was a short-lived chapter in basketball card history. Released during the 1998-99 and 1999-00 NBA seasons, it features cards from a number of high profile Hall of Famers - namely Kobe Bryant. Don't worry, Courtyard's Basketball Packs have a few of those for you to pull, too: * $92: Kobe Bryant - 1998 Stadium Club Chrome #6 (PSA 9) * $91: Kobe Bryant - 1999 Stadium Club Chrome #87 (PSA 9) * $57: Karl Malone - 1999 Stadium Club Chrome True Colors #TC3 Refractor (PSA 9) * $51: Gary Payton - 1999 Stadium Club Chrome True Colors #TC1 Refractor (PSA 9) The basketball cards NBA collectors on Courtyard are searching for. With a new NBA season just hours away, it appears that nostalgia and rookie hype are neck-and-neck - at least when it comes to basketball card collectors on Courtyard. Before the Detroit Pistons and Boston Celtics tip off this afternoon, marking the start of the 2026-27 NBA season, Courtyard, Inc. took a look at the most-searched basketball players on the Courtyard Marketplace since June 1st. Here's what Courtyard, Inc. found: The Association is in good hands, but nobody tops the GOAT. Even still, it's odd to see young guns like Cooper Flagg and Wemby top Stephen Curry. Even if the Warriors are major underdogs to win it all, watching Chef Curry fire away from deep never gets old. How to pull and trade Stadium Club Basketball cards on Courtyard. Whether you're hunting a Jordan Beam Team, a Kobe Stadium Club Chrome, or a Cooper Flagg rookie card, every basketball card on Courtyard is graded, authenticated, and ready to rip, trade, buy, and ship - complete with an instant buyback offer. Stay tuned for the arrival of 2025-26 Stadium Club Basketball cards, and, while you wait, rip some basketball packs or browse its marketplace for your next grail.