Cooper Flagg's NBA Rookie Debut Patch Card Sells for $8M in Historic Auction

Dallas Mavericks superstar Cooper Flagg's one-of-one Topps Chrome Update rookie debut patch autograph card has sold for more than $8 million after 83 bids in a Fanatics Collect auction that closed early Friday morning.

The sale smashed the record for the sale of any Flagg card by more than $7 million, and it marked the third-most expensive NBA card sale in history.

The record price for an NBA card is $12,932,000 for a 2007-08 Upper Deck Exquisite Collection Dual Logoman signed by Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant. The second-most expensive NBA card ever sold is a one-of-one Michael Jordan and LeBron James 2006-07 Upper Deck Exquisite dual NBA Logoman patch autograph that cleared $10 million in a private sale.

According to The Athletic, Friday's sale makes Flagg's card the fifth-most expensive sale of any trading card in history, topping a $7.25 million sale of the famed Honus Wagner 1909 Sweet Caporal T206 in 2022.

Flagg signed the card during this year's Fanatics Fest in July. The card then went out into the world for one lucky fan to find in a pack.

That fan was Jason Williams of South Carolina, per ESPN.

Williams "acquired the card after spending $515 to purchase a spot on the stream of RhodyBreakers, a division of the Baseball Cards of Rhode Island retail shop that opens boxes of trading cards on a livestream for clients," according to ESPN.

"They slid that card over and I just slid to the floor crying," Williams told ESPN. "... It took me about five seconds to realize what I was looking at on that screen."

Williams eventually consigned the card to Fanatics Collect later in August.

Flagg was one of the most hyped draft prospects in recent memory after starring at Duke during the 2024-25 season, when he earned consensus national player of the year honors. The Mavs selected him first overall in the 2025 NBA draft.

The 19-year-old is easily meeting the hype so far, averaging 21.0 points on 46.8 percent shooting, 6.7 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.2 steals per game in his Rookie of the Year campaign.

Given his trajectory, it's no surprise the one-on-one card, which features Flagg's rookie debut patch from his Mavs jersey at his first-ever game, sell for such a staggering figure.

Flagg made his debut on Oct. 22, 2025 vs. the San Antonio Spurs. He finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds in a 125-92 loss.

The ex-Duke star enjoyed some fantastic games over his rookie season, including a career-high 51-point outing against the Orlando Magic on April 3.

He followed that up with a near 45-point triple double (nine assists, eight rebounds) in a 134-128 win over the Los Angeles Lakers.

His late-season surge should foreshadow a fantastic sophomore season and an excellent career. In the meantime, one fan clearly believes in his potential and is now in possession of a valuable one-of-one card.