Historic Michael Jordan-Kobe Bryant Basketball Card Sells for Record-Breaking $12.9 Million at Auction
A historic moment in sports memorabilia occurred on Saturday as a basketball card featuring Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant was sold for an astounding $12.932 million. This sale, facilitated by Heritage Auctions in Dallas, Texas, established it as the most expensive sports card ever.
The coveted 2007-08 Upper Deck Exquisite Collection Dual Logoman showcases captivating images and signatures of the two legendary basketball stars, along with their NBA logo patches from their jerseys. The identity of the buyer remains undisclosed.
Chris Ivy, Director of Sports Auctions at Heritage, had previously stated in July, “The demand for this card is astronomical because it has everything – photos, jersey patches, and signatures from two of the greatest players ever on the court.”
He further explained that the “Dual Logoman card” auctioned is unique as it includes only Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant. Following Bryant’s tragic death in 2020, this specific card will remain the sole example of its kind within the extraordinary Upper Deck Logoman series.
The “Dual NBA Logo Autographs” series, produced by trading card company Upper Deck between 2004 and 2009, features basketball’s biggest stars sharing the same card in limited editions. Jordan appeared eight times, paired with stars like LeBron James and Scottie Pippen, while Bryant was included in eleven.
Despite a pre-auction estimate of $6 million, the final sale price shattered the previous record held by a mint condition 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle baseball card, which fetched $12.6 million in 2022. Prior to that, the highest price ever paid for a sports card was considerably lower: $6.6 million for a Honus Wagner card in 2021.
Before Saturday’s sale, the most expensive basketball card ever purchased was Steph Curry’s Logoman from his rookie season in 2009-10, which sold for $5.9 million in 2021.
Cards showcasing a league’s logo are highly sought after by collectors, with Jordan, Bryant, and Curry among them. Notably, record prices have also been achieved for cards featuring stars like Shohei Ohtani, Patrick Mahomes, and Luka Dončić, all of which include the mark of their respective leagues, according to Heritage Auctions.
However, the Jordan/Bryant card is not the most expensive piece of sports memorabilia ever sold. That distinction belongs to Babe Ruth’s jersey, worn during the 1932 World Series against the Chicago Cubs, which fetched an astonishing $24.12 million in August 2024.