Within the next five, I believe 90% of the most prominent superstar level players playing in the NBA right now will either retire or be out of their career primes. The potentially concerning part is there does not seems to be enough superstars who are prominent enough in the basketball pipeline right now who will likely fill their shoes in quality and quantity. Around 45% and 40% of the 50th and 75th NBA anniversary teams played in the NBA in the 1990s. Approximately 60% of the NBA’s top ten players of all time played in the 1990s. How many players on a future top 10 NBA players list who played in the 2020s? I’m sure most NBA fans have a ball park figures on that…..
What does this all mean? What this means is that the NBA likely still need to create a 100 year anniversary team. This means the NBA still need to pick certain number of players to be on the 100th anniversary team. Fans may not think a relatively young player playing in the NBA in the 2020s as a historical great, however, given each era may be judged a little bit different, that means if that player is relatively good, there is a solid chance of this player being on the 100th anniversary team, making multiple all stars, winning awards and ultimately being inducted to the basketball hall of fame. More post season games, introduction of the new in-season tournament and the 65 game award eligibility rule will likely mean a higher probability of injury and more NBA all star injury replacement(s) being selected. Regardless the strength of the league in a given era, the league still need superstars, face of the league, all stars and award winners etc. With all that being said, I think the rookie cards of Cade Cunningham, Chet Holmgren and Paolo Banchero are good values in my opinion.
Wemby seems to be a great player. However, I personally am not invested in his rookie cards for several reasons. Mostly for basketball reasons. He appears to have had numerous injuries hence I question his basketball career longevity. I am not entire sure if can gain enough muscles to be Shaq level dominant without being potentially basketball injury prone and losing his court mobility. With the NBA rules on load management and 65 game award eligibility requirements, I am not sure how he will adapt to that in the long-run. If we talk about the Spurs we can’t talk about Tim Duncan and David Robinson. Tim Duncan is usually considered as a top 10 player and the greatest power forward of all time with five championships. Even at that level, Tim Duncan is considered a top 7-10 greatest NBA player of all time. David Robinson is widely considered one of the greatest centered of all time who played in the best big men era in the NBA, played on the Dream Team and has two championships. Both were teammates, won championships together, spent their whole careers playing for the Spurs and played against some of the greatest players and the greatest teams in NBA history and with some of the greatest Spurs ever. To me, just basketball wise, Wemby is going to have to surpass the careers of these two players to even have a shot at being a top 10 players of all time. On the non-basketball side, besides the normal overhype of top new players’ rookie cards and Wemby being a center and not a guard, there may be a few other marketability issues I will not mention here. The best example I can give on this is look at the prices of Shaq and Duncan’s base rookie cards now and compare that against the prices of his rookie cards when they first joined the league. I live in America which means I have the rights to exercise reasonable free speech as permitted by the law. All posted content(s) on this website are my opinions only which means they should not be taken as advice of any kind. I am a non-celebrity, non-public figure posting anonymously for my own entertainment on a website that is not affiliated with any individual(s), organization(s) and/or any entity/entities.
Let’s talk about my Cade Cunningham, Chet Holmgren and Paolo Banchero rookie sports cards to invest in for May 2026.
My 2020s rookie basketball cards collection is primarily made up of Cade Cunningham, Chet Holmgren, Paolo Banchero and Bronny James (whose rookie cards I discussed in my previous post(s)) rookie cards. I standby what I mention below and what I previously said about Cade, Chet and Paolo in my previous post.
“Chet Holgrem potentially generational beef with Wemby may work out like Bill Russell versus Wilt Chamberlain comparisons. One has too many rings for ten fingered to each wear one and the other is not primarily known as a winner but has significantly more on the personal career statistics and may have lots of stories some of which I don’t think would be appropriate to discuss here. With or without film, historically speaking after both retires many years later, if it were the case, the distinction between a top 40 player versus a top 50 player or whatever will come down to what first comes to mind to people who remember them. Chet’s cards value will likely be pegged to a ratio of whatever Wemby is at whether that’s plus or minus. I don’t waste money on buying Wemby cards just like I don’t buy David Robinson or Tim Duncan’s cards anymore even though many of their rookie cards are around a dollar or two each now.
Cade Cunningham’s Pistons historically have been perceived as a tough team for whatever historical reasons. As a guard, his height alone is relatable for many people. I think he is a regional story who may become a national or international story once he starts to win in the playoffs more consistently. I am not particularly attracted to his playing style or anything else. I just think from a statistical standpoint, his cards are very undervalued right now. Cade may get 30000 points and some championships making him a legend. I am not particularly attracted to Paolo Banchero’s playing style or anything else. I just think from a statistical standpoint, his cards are very undervalued right now.”