Topps has officially made the announcement that they have acquired the NBA license, which allows them to make NBA trading cards with logos yet again. The announcement comes with much enthusiasm from colllectors who are eagerly waiting to see what products Topps will release under the license. Collectors will not have to wait very long, as the first pre-order is coming this Friday, October 3rd at 12 PM for 2025-26 Topps Basketball. Before looking briefly at what that product has to offer, let’s take a look back at the last time Topps held the NBA license.
RELATED: 1993-94 Topps Finest Basketball changed The Hobby
2009-10 Topps Basketball: The Initial End of an Era
The 2009-10 Topps set was the last flagship release that Topps came out with under the licensing. It also included Chrome cards in it, given the time when the license made it’s way over to Panini. The set is most well known for having the Stephen Curry rookie card in it, a card that has made a massive impact on the hobby. If a collector were to try and buy a box of the product now, it would cost a signifcant amount of money. The main reason for this is that the 1/1 Superfractor of Stephen Curry has yet to surface.
2009-10 Topps Basketball Stephen Curry RC | eBay
RELATED: Vintage On-Card Autographs are the Ultimate Investment in the Sports Card Hobby
25-26 Topps Basketball Preview Images
While it is still early, Topps has released some preview images of cards that will be contained in the product. A checklist is available on the website, but odds and pricing have not yet been announced.
The base cards for the set take on the same design as 2025 Topps Baseball, which has a photo of the player surrounded by a team colored border. The left part of the card has the team name written up the side, with the logo and player name at the bottom of the card. In typical fashion, the cards do contain white borders. Topps also looks to be including “first cards” – the first base card printed off the printing press. The Stephen Curry containing that moniker is pictured below.
2025-26 Topps Basketball Stephen Curry First Card | Topps via Instagram
Cooper Flagg will be the premier rookie in the set, and he will have autographs. One such autograph comes from a throwback design – the 1980-81 Basketball set. It features a stamp commemorating the 45th anniversary of the release, with the team and player name at the bottom of the card. A nice touch is the Topps logo inside of a Basketball in the top right of the card. Cooper Flagg autographs will be a big chase in the product, and this particular example may be one of the best.
2025-26 Topps Basketball Cooper Flagg 1980-81 Autographs | Topps via Instagram
RELATED: Hobby Slang Series: What Exactly Is A “Relic” Card?
The All-Kings insert also looks to appear in the set, similar to the Baseball release. The preview image shared by Topps shows Lebron James on the card, which is designed like a playing card. This insert was quite short printed in the Baseball release, so it may be for this as well. More details will surely emerge as time goes on, but if it is an SP, collectors will be trying to get their hands on this insert from day one of release.
2025-26 Topps Basketball Lebron James All-Kings Insert | Topps via Instagram
Topps is finally back in the licensed Basketball game, and collectors are very happy about it. October 1st, 2025 will go down as a historical day in the hobby, and for good reason. The pre-order date for 2025-26 Topps Basketball will take place on October 3rd, 2025 on the Topps website. At the time of writing, pricing is not yet known. Without question, this product and announcement will have an immense impact on the hobby for years to come.
TOP TRENDING COLLECTIBLES ARTICLES:
The 60 Home Run Club and their cardsChase DeLauter wears first Rookie Debut Patch in a postseason gameThe Coolest Card in 1989 Upper Deck and it’s not Griffey