{"id":787844,"date":"2026-07-08T22:04:15","date_gmt":"2026-07-08T22:04:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/787844\/"},"modified":"2026-07-08T22:04:15","modified_gmt":"2026-07-08T22:04:15","slug":"michael-jordan-signs-23-1986-fleer-basketball-packs-to-commemorate-new-partnership-with-upper-deck","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/787844\/","title":{"rendered":"Michael Jordan signs 23 1986 Fleer Basketball packs to commemorate new partnership with Upper Deck"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Since an anonymous and controversial billboard in 1992, Michael Jordan has been Upper Deck\u2019s leading spokesperson and collectibles partner.<\/p>\n<p>Thirty-four years later, <a href=\"https:\/\/upperdeck.com\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Upper Deck<\/a> is expanding its relationship with the NBA legend, naming Jordan Upper Deck\u2019s first Legacy Partner.<\/p>\n<p> Upper Deck <\/p>\n<p>Jordan\u2019s relationship with the trading card and sports memorabilia company began in 1992, when Upper Deck launched an anonymous marketing campaign with a Chicago billboard that read \u201cTrade Jordan.\u201d The promotion rocked the sports world as basketball fans speculated about the unthinkable\u2014the Chicago Bulls dealing Jordan to another team.<\/p>\n<p>The infamous billboard was later replaced with images of Jordan trading cards, promoting Upper Deck\u2019s new licensing agreement with the two-time NBA champion and making him the company\u2019s first exclusive basketball spokesperson and granting Upper Deck exclusive rights to produce his authenticated, autographed collectibles.<\/p>\n<p>Upper Deck\u2019s latest campaign is a nod to the original \u201cTrade Jordan\u201d promotion, but with an opposite message: \u201cYou Don\u2019t Trade Greatness, You Keep it for a Lifetime.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are honored that Michael Jordan continues to choose Upper Deck as his partner. For more than three decades we\u2019ve worked with Michael to fundamentally change the collectibles industry,\u201d said Upper Deck President Jason Masherah. \u201cWe bring the most sought-after trading cards and memorabilia to fans around the world as the only pieces guaranteed to feature his authentic autograph.\u201d<\/p>\n<p> Jeff Owens<\/p>\n<p>To commemorate Jordan\u2019s new Legacy partnership, Upper Deck has developed two unique programs:<\/p>\n<p>\u2022 23 factory-sealed packs from the coveted 1986-87 Fleer Basketball trading card set, which features Jordan\u2019s iconic rookie card, have been acquired through a <a href=\"https:\/\/upperdeck.com\/michael-jordan-legacy-partner-buyback\/?utm_source=UDWebsite&amp;utm_medium=Carve&amp;utm_content=PressRelease&amp;utm_campaign=MJExtension\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">buyback program<\/a> and each pack is autographed by Jordan, with one pack featuring a 1-of-1 inscription \u201cRookie Pack.\u201d The packs will be inserted into a new trading card set\u20142026 Goodwin Champions.<\/p>\n<p> PWCC Marketplace<\/p>\n<p>\u2022 Upper Deck has also collaborated with eBay to <a href=\"https:\/\/upperdeck.com\/michael-jordan-legacy-partner-auction\/?utm_source=UDWebsite&amp;utm_medium=Carve&amp;utm_content=PressRelease&amp;utm_campaign=MJExtension\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">auction<\/a> a one-of-a-kind full box of 1986-87 Fleer Basketball cards that features Jordan\u2019s exclusive autograph and a similar inscription \u201cRookie Card Box,\u201d connecting the two programs. Ten percent of the auction proceeds will benefit Boys &amp; Girls Clubs of America.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI&#8217;m proud to be Upper Deck&#8217;s first Legacy Partner,\u201d Jordan said through Upper Deck. \u201cFor more than 30 years, this partnership has been about creating something different\u2014cards and memorabilia collectors can&#8217;t find anywhere else. I&#8217;m looking forward to what comes next.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>BUYBACK PROGRAM<\/p>\n<p>Upper Deck bought 23 factory-sealed packs of\u00a01986-87 Fleer Basketball and had Jordan sign them. The signed packs are being inserted as redemptions into 2026 Goodwin Champions, Upper Deck\u2019s annual multisport card set.<\/p>\n<p>The packs are slabbed in a protective encapsulation that features a barcode where you can see photos of the uncirculated packs to ensure authenticity on re-sale platforms. Redemption cards will be inserted into all SKUs of 2026 Goodwin Champions products. Redemption codes can be input online at UpperDeck.com and the redeemer will receive one of the 23 autographed packs in the mail.<\/p>\n<p>2026 Goodwin Champions will be available for purchase on July 9 at participating hobby shops and July 22 at retail stores.<\/p>\n<p>The one-of-a-kind slabbed, signed and inscribed full box of 1986-87 Fleer Basketball is one of 12 Michael Jordan Upper Deck Authenticated items being auctioned on eBay July 30-Aug. 9.<\/p>\n<p>Upper Deck is also releasing a limited collection of Upper Deck Authenticated (UDA) memorabilia that reflects Jordan\u2019s careers in both basketball and baseball, featuring imagery and designs never before used in UDA pieces. They include:<\/p>\n<p>\u2022 \u201cBirth of a Legend,\u201d which chronicles Jordan&#8217;s basketball journey and features eight signature moments and one legendary autograph.<\/p>\n<p>\u2022 \u201cHeart of a Champion,\u201d a Jordan print in which he embraces the Larry O&#8217;Brien Trophy for the first time in his career.<\/p>\n<p>\u2022 \u201cMuseum of Excellence,\u201d which highlights Jordan\u2019s six NBA championships and six NBA Finals MVPs. It features a special inscription, \u201c6x Champ,\u201d and classic photo-matched images from each title.<\/p>\n<p>\u2022 \u201cOn the Diamond,\u201d a portrait that captures the essence of Jordan the baseball player\u2014wide grin, mirrored shades and the Upper Deck cap. The photo was taken during All-Star weekend in 1993 after Jordan participated in the Upper Deck Celebrity Home Run Challenge.<\/p>\n<p>\u2022 A signed pair of Air Jordan 3 Retro OG Fire Red 2022 Air Jordan sneakers, one of the most recognizable colorways of the classic Air Jordan 3. It was first released during Jordan\u2019s third NBA season in 1988.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Since an anonymous and controversial billboard in 1992, Michael Jordan has been Upper Deck\u2019s leading spokesperson and collectibles&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":787845,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[574],"tags":[371777,64,63,726,1385,371778,371779,85,219605],"class_list":["post-787844","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-basketball","tag-1986-fleer-basketball","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-basketball","tag-michael-jordan","tag-michael-jordan-autograph","tag-michael-jordan-rookie-card","tag-sports","tag-upper-deck"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/787844","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=787844"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/787844\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/787845"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=787844"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=787844"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=787844"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}