Basketball trading cards have long celebrated star players with special parallels, but the ultimate collectible is a one-of-one (1/1), a card printed just once. The first true 1/1 basketball cards appeared in the late 1990s as “Masterpiece” parallels in in the 1997 productions of Flair Showcase and Fleer Ultra.

As a longtime basketball card collector and investor, timing the market around the NBA Playoffs has always been a double-edged sword. A player’s postseason performance can send their card prices soaring — or crashing — depending on expectations, hype, and long-term stability. To help navigate this year’s playoffs, we’ve built a composite rating system using three weighted categories:

Cooper Flagg isn’t just another elite prospect—he’s being heralded as a potential franchise-altering NBA talent, posting incredible per game averages at Duke. At 6'9" with elite defensive instincts, a polished offensive game, and a motor that never stops, Flagg’s loftiest comparisons have invoked the names of legends such as Kevin Garnett and a young LeBron James.