NBA players collecting baseball cards is not a new phenomenon, but it has increased in popularity over the last decade as basketball players have gained more interest and involvement in baseball. Many current and former NBA stars grew up collecting and being fascinated by baseball cards just like many other American children of the 80s and 90s era. As they rose to fame in the NBA, some continued their baseball card hobby which has resulted in some high profile collections.
One of the most well known NBA players who is an avid baseball card collector is LeBron James. LeBron has spent millions amassing one of the largest and most valuable private collections in the world. He regularly posts photos on social media showing off his collection which includes rare rookie cards of legends like Mickey Mantle, Tom Seaver, and Nolan Ryan. LeBron’s collection is estimated to be worth over $5 million. He sees collecting as a worthwhile investment but also enjoys the nostalgia of owning pieces of baseball history.
Chris Paul is another top NBA star with a major collection. Paul credits his love of baseball cards to time spent with his father and grandfather growing up in North Carolina. He owns rare cards like a mint condition 1954 Hank Aaron rookie card worth over $1 million. Paul especially enjoys collecting vintage cards from the 50s and 60s era when the designs were simpler. He keeps searches for high value cards to add to his personal collection.
As a high profile collector, LeBron sometimes partners with card companies on special release projects. In 2020, he teamed up with Panini America to curate and release his own exclusive online only LeBron James 2020 NBA Hoops Basketball Mint Edition box set. It contained specially designed inserts and parallels of 2020 rookie cards honoring LeBron’s career. This helped drive interest among both NBA and baseball card collectors.
NBA/baseball card crossover collecting became even more popularized in recent years due to the rise of YouTube breakers and influencers. Guys like Logan Paul, Ryu, and Anthony Adonis built massive followings by filming themselves opening boxes of new and vintage basketball and baseball cards on YouTube and social media. This got more casual NBA fans interested in the hobby. Sites like eBay also make it easy for basketball memorabilia collectors to also find and purchase classic baseball cards.
Some other NBA players known to collect baseball cards include Kyle Kuzma, Andre Drummond, Jaren Jackson Jr., Brandon Ingram, Joel Embiid, and Kevin Durant. Kuzma may have one of the larger collections outside of LeBron and Chris Paul. He often posts his buys on Instagram which inspires other young NBA fans. Andre Drummond has shown off boxes of vintage sets he’s put together in his collection as well over the years.
There are also NBA players who have dabbled in the hobby but not to the extent of maintaining huge long term collections. For example, Steph Curry did a card signing with Panini in 2018 and seemed interested, but hasn’t shown himself collecting at a major level long term. Players with connections to baseball like Dwight Howard since his dad played also naturally may have picked up some cards growing up.
For those NBA players that do collect seriously, great joy seems to come from owning classic cards from their childhood favorites. But there’s also no denying the financial aspect. Astute collectors like LeBron, Chris Paul and others have made savvy investments over the years that have paid huge dividends as prices have soared. A 1909 Honus Wagner card that sold for $500,000 in the 1990s would now sell for over $5-10 million. Rarest rookie cards have increased 1,000%+ in the same time frame.
As the basketball card market has taken off with prices of stars like Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant cards, this has started to attract more crossover attention from traditional baseball collectors too. Thus there is unprecedented interest in sports cards overall right now among both NBA players themselves and the public. For basketball icons now collecting baseball’s biggest legends, it’s come full circle. And as values appreciate, their awesome collections preserve iconic pieces of both games’ histories for future generations to admire as well.
