With the 2026 National Sports Collectors Convention coming up, collectors are getting ready for the special release cards that will only be available at The National. The lineup spans men’s and women’s basketball, football, soccer, baseball and golf, and it comes loaded with the kind of chase pieces that drive the hobby: low-numbered color parallels, case-hit 1/1s and autographs.
That high-end formula has already produced some serious prices, and four cards tied to some of the hobby’s hottest names have cleared $10,000.
Paige Bueckers is one of them. In her second season, she has shown the kind of upside that has collectors paying attention, while also helping turn the Dallas Wings into a playoff contender.
One of her most notable cards, a 2025 Panini Gold VIP Nebula 1/1 Autograph, brought $15,250 in November. It was one of her first cards in a WNBA uniform with the RC logo, which only adds to its appeal as one of her most unique and collectible cards so far.
Victor Wembanyama has been right in the middle of a wild summer for the hobby. After leading the San Antonio Spurs to the NBA Finals, his rookie cards were flying in and out of the market at a pace that had collectors talking.
His values have climbed to new heights, but the big question hanging over all of it is whether the market has already topped out or is still building for the 22-year-old star. One of his biggest cards to date, a 2024 Panini Gold VIP Color Blast 1/1, sold for $16,688 in October.
The horizontal design, the familiar Color Blast look and the gold vinyl 1/1 finish make it one of the premier rookie-year Wemby grails.
Shohei Ohtani remains one of the most coveted active athletes in the hobby, and his cards keep proving it. His reach goes well beyond the usual sports card audience, with demand stretching from low-end base cards to one-of-one million-dollar pieces.
As the years go by, his rookie cards only get harder to find, which keeps pushing certain cards into must-have territory. A 2018 Bowman Chrome NSCC Red Refractor /5 Autograph sold for $20,740 in September.
With Ohtani pitching in his red Los Angeles Angels uniform, the card’s color match with the red refractor parallel gives it a look that stands out immediately.
Lamine Yamal is the youngest name in the group, but his card market is already moving fast. His play for Spain in the World Cup brought him to an even wider audience in the United States and around the world, and he has quickly become one of the most collectible young athletes in soccer.
The idea that he could inherit the global spotlight long held by Lionel Messi and Christian Ronaldo is part of the buzz around him. His 2024 Topps NSCC Silver Pack Superfractor 1/1 sold for $28,060 in October of 2024.
With Topps’ gold Superfractor pattern and a blue ink PSA 10 autograph, it has become one of the biggest early-career cards in his portfolio. Given how much his profile has grown, that same card could bring even more if it hit the auction block today.
In Other News...
LeBron Just Changed The Spurs Finals Path In A Huge Way
The Eastern Conference just got a lot more crowded, and the ripple effects could reach all the way to San Antonio. A major star move has already shifted the balance of power, and with another top name also headed to Philadelphia, the East suddenly looks far less settled than it did a week ago. For a Spurs team trying to map out its clearest path back to the NBA Finals, that matters because the road could look very different by the time June arrives.
The Knicks no longer look like they have the conference to themselves, and Philadelphia now has the kind of top-end talent that can change the conversation in a hurry. If the standings and playoff bracket break a certain way, San Antonio could be staring at a very different Finals matchup than the one many had penciled in. The bigger question now is whether the East has simply become more competitive, or whether it has been turned upside down entirely. [Read more 🡒]
Wembanyama Turned Another Summer Side Quest Into A Spurs Fan Moment
Victor Wembanyama has spent his offseason treating just about every sport like a side quest, and the latest stop came in the Houston area, where he was spotted joining pickup soccer with fans. He showed up in a Paris Saint-Germain jersey, added another highlight to the summer by scoring, and then celebrated in the style of Kylian Mbapp, giving the moment the kind of flair that tends to travel fast among Spurs supporters.
It also fit a broader pattern for Wembanyama, who has been bouncing through a busy offseason that has included recent workouts with NBA players and mentors in Houston. Along with his baseball and hockey attempts earlier in the summer, the soccer run only reinforced how much he has leaned into staying active, experimenting, and turning ordinary offseason stops into something that feels a little bigger than a workout. [Read more 🡒]
Julian Champagnie Just Gave Spurs Fans Another Reason To Believe
Julian Champagnies rise in San Antonio has been the kind of steady, low-drama development the Spurs have long valued, and his new three-year extension only reinforces that fit. After appearing in all 82 games last season, he has built a reputation as one of the leagues most dependable wings, the sort of player a team can plug into almost any lineup and trust to show up every night.
Champagnie also made clear he appreciates what the organization has given him, and he said he wants to stay with the Spurs for the rest of his NBA career. The deal keeps him under contract through the 2028-29 season, giving San Antonio another reason to believe its patient approach is paying off, even if the bigger question now is how far this partnership can still go. [Read more 🡒]