Victor Wembanyama rookie card sells for $5.11 million in private deal
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A one-of-a-kind 2023-24 Panini Prizm Black parallel rookie card of San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama has been purchased for $5.11 million in a private transaction brokered by Fanatics Collect, the company confirmed Monday.
The price sets a record for any Wembanyama card and ranks as the fourth-highest amount ever paid for a basketball card and the 11th-highest for any sports card. It is also believed to be the costliest non-autographed NBA card on record and marks the third sports card to clear the $5 million threshold in 2026.
Graded Gem Mint 10 by Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA), the card was originally pulled from a box at NorCal Sports Cards by collector Cavelle McDonald. In a 2024 video, McDonald and shop owner Thomas Lindenthal hand-delivered the card to PSA’s parent company for grading, sparking debate after Lindenthal credited Kurt’s Card Care—a business that sells cleaning and restoration products for trading cards—upon learning of the perfect grade.
The collecting community generally condemns any alteration or cleaning, and PSA’s rules prohibit grading cards that show evidence of such practices. The company will return submissions it deems altered, including cards treated with foreign substances or reduced in size.
Before this sale, the highest amount paid for a Wembanyama card was $860,100 at a February 2025 Goldin auction for another one-of-one Prizm parallel. No licensed autographed rookie cards exist for the 7-foot-4 French star, who signed an exclusive deal with Fanatics after Panini held the NBA trading-card license during his rookie season.
On the court, Wembanyama recently became the league’s first unanimous Defensive Player of the Year, earned unanimous selection to the NBA All-Defensive First Team, and finished third in MVP voting.
Source: ESPN
