Victor Wembanyama rookie card sells for a record

Victor Wembanyama is making news these days as a third-year participant who has led the San Antonio Spurs to a 2-2 collection tie with the defending NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference finals.

A sports activities card from the 7-foot-4 French star’s rookie season has also made headlines. Wembanyama’s 2023-24 Panini Prizm one-of-one Black parallel card not too long ago offered for $5.11 million in a non-public deal brokered by Fanatics Collect.

It’s the very best identified price paid for a non-autographed NBA card and the fourth-highest for any NBA card, according to price information web site Card Ladder. The purchaser told the Athletic that he believes it would stay the best card for a participant whose famous person potential is virtually limitless.

“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,” said the customer, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. “… If you take all these players and you say, ‘What’s their ceiling?’
I think Victor Wembanyama’s [ceiling] is substantially higher.”

Professional Sports Authenticator graded the card a Gem Mint 10, which the PSA website says is reserved for “virtually perfect” playing cards.

The earlier record quantity spent on a Wembanyama card was $860,100 paid for his rookie Panini Prism Nebula Choice one-of-one card in early 2025, according to Fanatics Collect. That card had a PSA 9 grade.

The grade for the not too long ago bought card got here with controversy. Collector Cavelle McDonald pulled the card from a pack he bought at NorCal Sports Cards in Roseville, Calif. A video posted to the store’s YouTube account in 2024 reveals McDonald and NorCal Sports Cards proprietor Thomas Lindenthal getting the card graded.

After studying the card’s grade, Lindenthal gave “a huge shout-out” to Kurt’s Card Care. “Your product is phenomenal,” he said.

According to its web site, Kurt’s Card Care makes “100% handmade Cleaning sprays and polishes free of artificial colors and scents. Perfect for cleaning and restoring your card collection.” PSA says on its web site that it “will not grade cards that bear evidence of trimming, re-coloring, restoration, or any other forms of tampering” and lists “evidence of cleaning” as a issue in the company returning a card without a numeric grade.

Some people in the video’s remark part speculated that Lindenthal’s shout-out might have indicated that the Wemby card had been tampered with in a means that ought to have disqualified it from being graded. NorCal Sports Cards didn’t immediately reply to a request for remark from The Times.

McDonald told the Athletic that “Kurt’s Card Care has nothing to do with me or the card.” The new purchaser told the publication that he was unaware of the state of affairs before buying the card, but said it wouldn’t have made any distinction if he had identified.

The largest quantity identified to be spent on any sports activities card is the $12.932 million paid last 12 months for the 2007-08 Upper Deck Exquisite Collection Dual Logoman Autographs card that includes Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan.

Wembanyama had 41 factors and 24 rebounds in the Spurs’ double-overtime victory against the Thunder in Game 1 of the convention finals and 33 factors, eight rebounds, 5 assists and three blocked photographs in San Antonio’s Game 4 victory on Sunday. Game 5 is Tuesday in Oklahoma City, with the winner of the best-of-seven collection advancing to play the New York Knicks in the NBA Finals.