{"id":809038,"date":"2026-07-18T01:05:15","date_gmt":"2026-07-18T01:05:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/809038\/"},"modified":"2026-07-18T01:05:15","modified_gmt":"2026-07-18T01:05:15","slug":"cooper-flagg-signs-1-of-1-rookie-debut-patch-topps-card","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/809038\/","title":{"rendered":"Cooper Flagg signs 1-of-1 rookie debut patch Topps card"},"content":{"rendered":"

At the third annual Fanatics Fest, ESPN\u2019s Kevin Negandhi told the crowd that Dallas Mavericks<\/a> superstar Cooper Flagg<\/a>, the reigning NBA Rookie of the Year, just signed his one-of-one numbered rookie debut patch autograph card (RDPA) just offstage.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s definitely the most important thing we\u2019ve had signed at Fanatics Fest,\u201d Mike Mahan, CEO of Fanatics Collectibles, told ESPN. \u201cWhen someone signs their debut patch, it\u2019s a big deal and Cooper Flagg<\/a> — he\u2019s into cards in a big way — appreciates what this means and how special the moment is.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mahan says it\u2019s the most anticipated basketball card \u201cin a long, long time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fanatics\u2019 exclusive NBA trading card license began in October. Flagg headlines the first crop of basketball\u2019s rookie debut patch autograph cards in one of the most anticipated releases in years: 2026 Topps Chrome Update Basketball (out Aug. 6). Flagg\u2019s card, as well as the RDPA cards of classmates Kon Knueppel<\/a>, Dylan Harper<\/a>, Ace Bailey<\/a> and Derik Queen<\/a>, will be inserted as redemption cards.<\/p>\n

\u201cSpecial cards connect you to an athlete in their biggest moment — the first time they step on the court or field, the height of achievement, breaking records — and that depth of connection and richness of storytelling, that authenticity, we\u2019re bringing to life through innovation and partnership with leagues, teams and athletes,\u201d Mahan said.<\/p>\n

The current high paid for any Flagg card is $366,000 in a March auction, but the jersey Flagg wore in the first half of his debut — which the card\u2019s patch was removed from — sold for $1 million in February, a then-record paid for a jersey at NBA Auctions.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen Paul Skenes\u2019 sold for $1.11 million last year, that really opened collectors up to the potential of rookie debut patch autograph cards,\u201d Geoff Wilson, founder of Sports Cards Investor, told ESPN. \u201cI said, when Flagg has one and it sells, it\u2019ll exceed that, maybe $1.5 million.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow? Five million. It\u2019s definitively his best card.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mahan talks about what\u2019s next for Fanatics: TCG — a category which includes Magic: The Gathering and Pokemon — \u201cis gonna be an area\u201d they explore; given their rights portfolio, multisport crossovers are on the table; and technology could be a more \u201cmeaningful part\u201d of the collecting experience, so it\u2019s a place Fanatics is investing heavily: \u201cWe want to improve the collector experience every day and we think the time has come to have an app that has everything you need as a collector.\u201d<\/p>\n

But Fanatics\u2019 lodestar of \u201cwork with athletes and bring them into the fold\u201d has yielded an interesting by-product: Athletes chasing their rookie debut patch autograph cards.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey could be massive collectors, they could not collect at all: Athletes want them,\u201d Mahan says. \u201cIt\u2019s become this iconic symbol. For us, it\u2019s gratifying — but it\u2019s the beginning, not the end. We\u2019re just getting started.\u201d<\/p>\n

Negandhi asked Flagg if he\u2019d take a run at buying his once it\u2019s pulled.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe eventually,\u201d Flagg said. \u201cI might have to wait until I get my second contract, but maybe eventually.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"At the third annual Fanatics Fest, ESPN\u2019s Kevin Negandhi told the crowd that Dallas Mavericks superstar Cooper Flagg,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":809039,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[434],"tags":[49,48,184254,117726,459,82],"class_list":["post-809038","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nba","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-cooper-flagg-sports-basketball-player-player-statscom-1519128","tag-dallas-mavericks-sports-basketball-team-team-statscom-6","tag-nba","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/809038","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=809038"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/809038\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/809039"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=809038"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=809038"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=809038"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}