In the charismatic world of basketball, where soaring slam dunks meet shrewd trading moves, a new story is being penned in Dallas. Just when the Mavericks fans thought the offseason couldn’t get any more thrilling, the team chose to stun the world by picking young phenom Cooper Flagg with the first overall draft pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. This moment felt like the arrival of a new dawn for the team, especially after the monumental decision to trade away their superstar Luka Doncic earlier in the season.
For those of us watching from the sidelines, the script reads like a classic sports drama, complete with the optimistic reset button the Mavericks seem to have hit. And while Dallas fans are painting the town blue in anticipation of what Flagg will bring to the court, there is another group of equally enthusiastic followers—card collectors—who have their eyes on a different prize. Enter the realm of card collecting, where Flagg’s stock is already off the charts before he even makes his professional debut.
Topps NOW, a maestro in capturing pivotal sports moments and transforming them into coveted collectibles, has grasped this opportunity with the precision of a savvy point guard. They’ve announced the release of Cooper Flagg’s first professional basketball card, and to no one’s surprise, it’s generating as much buzz as one of Flagg’s signature highlight reels.
Like a perfect alley-oop, this card release is as much about the collectors as it is about Flagg’s basketball prowess. Topps NOW’s modus operandi of timed releases enhances the rarity and desirability, akin to scoring the freshest pair of limited edition sneakers. Enthusiasts will find the 1/1 autographed card, which comes with “1st Overall Pick” inscribed, as the gem of this collection. Autographs are gold in this realm, and with various tiers numbered to /25, /10, /5, and a singular 1-of-1, the intrigue and competition this card sparks is as intense as a playoff race.
Flagg’s cards are creating waves not just because of their scarcity or aesthetic appeal, but due to the allure of what they represent—a potentially historic NBA career wrapped within a piece of cardboard. Just as the on-court game evolves, so does the landscape of collectibles. The autographed versions ush the envelope further with inscriptions “My First Pro Auto,” giving collectors and investors a piece of memorabilia with sentimental as well as financial potential.
Flagg’s emergence onto the card scene isn’t an isolated crescendo beginning with Topps NOW. His journey through the ranks has already been punctuated with notable collectibles like his Bowman cards and the Topps Basketball McDonald’s All American issues, both of which fans clamor to add to their personal collections. Earlier this year, his exclusive agreement with Topps and Fanatics only served to cement his status as a pivotal player in the collectible card industry—an industry as full of strategy, speculation, and fandom as basketball itself.
As the news of Flagg’s Mavericks debut circles the globe, simultaneous excitement brews among collectors with his NBA cardboard journey starting in earnest. This release is not merely a card; it’s a tangible memento of Flagg’s entrance into the NBA, something collectors can treasure or trade as Flagg’s career unfolds and potentially flourishes into greatness.
It’s worth noting that to score one of these precious cards, you’d better act fast—the Topps NOW cards will be available only until June 29 at 8:10 PM EST. In the frenzied rush of both NBA fandom and collector savvy, the window for acquiring Flagg’s first pro card will close quicker than one might imagine. As Flagg prepares to don the Mavericks jersey on court, collectors will seek to capture a slice of this moment for themselves, knowing full well that the “hype train” that Flagg is leading shows no signs of slowing down.
Cooper Flagg’s entry into the NBA serves as a tantalizing prologue for what could be the next big chapter in Dallas Mavericks’ and sports card history. Whether an avid fan or shrewd collector, the stakes are thrillingly high. As the season looms on the horizon, the focus on Flagg’s progress is eagerly anticipated, with fans hoping to witness the meteoric rise that this young star seems destined for. The cards are on the table—or in this case, in the collector’s vaults—awaiting the hang-time of their value as the future plays out.
