From $3.5 Million to $8.04 Million Overnight: The Cooper Flagg Card Nobody Could Let Go

At 9 p.m. Eastern on Thursday, the bidding on Cooper Flagg's rookie debut patch card sat at $3.5 million. By 2 a.m., it had closed at $8.04 million.

That's the result of Fanatics Collect's September Premier Auction, which drew 83 bids over two weeks. The card is now the most expensive single-player basketball card ever sold and the priciest debut patch card of any sport, far past the $1.1 million paid for Paul Skenes' card. Among NBA cards, only two dual cards, LeBron James with Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant with Jordan, have gone for more.

Why it's one of a kind

Every player in the 2025 draft class wore a patch in his first NBA game that was cut out afterward, put into a card and signed. It's the first NBA class done that way; the idea started in baseball in 2023 and has spread to the NFL and European soccer. Flagg's debut, on Oct. 22, was a 125-92 loss to the Spurs in which he had 10 points and 10 rebounds. He went on to win Rookie of the Year.

The card was pulled by Rhody Breakers in Rhode Island and owned by South Carolina collector Jason Williams. The Mavericks wanted it badly enough that in August they posted a trade-style bounty for it, offering premium season tickets for 32 years, a signed game-worn rookie jersey, a road trip to Boston and time with the Rookie of the Year and championship trophies.

Two other rookies did well in the same auction: Dylan Harper's card went for $2.88 million and Kon Knueppel's for $2.34 million.