Cooper Flagg, Kon Knueppel, and Dylan Harper Shatter Rookie Trading Card Records in $13 Million Surge

Cooper Flagg, Kon Knueppel and Dylan Harper had rookie seasons to remember, making them a trio many are hoping will shape the NBA's future.

Cooper Flagg, Kon Knueppel, and Dylan Harper Shatter Rookie Trading Card Records in $13 Million Surge

Cooper Flagg's trading card sets records (Image via Sleeper Hoops/Fanatics Collect/X)

There was no doubt that once Dylan Harper and Kon Knueppel proved their worth on the NBA stage, many started to believe that the 2025 rookie class led by Cooper Flagg was going to dominate for a long time.

There were times when the first two felt like they were going to give the Dallas Mavericks rookie a run for his money in the race to the Rookie of the Year award.

In fact, both their respective teams were enjoying a much more fruitful season compared to Flagg’s Mavs helped push that narrative to the point where some questioned whether the No. 1 overall pick was truly a game-changer.

But in the second half of the season, the 19-year-old cemented his legacy as someone who is on a trajectory similar to Michael Jordan and LeBron James, two of the greatest players in NBA history.

Such superlatives tend to boost his image, even though the Duke standout is not one to exploit every opportunity to create income flows. But one situation may have inadvertently brought him a nice payday.

It so happens that the Cooper Flagg NBA Debut Patch autograph trading card went up for auction despite the Mavericks’ attempts to convince its owner to part with it for nearly lifelong season tickets and other merchandise.

The owner was lucky to get the card for just a mere $515. Now, he will pocket a major share of the $8,040,000 winning bid. Quite a return for his investment, luck, and patience.

As is for all athletes, Flagg will also receive a portion, as this card becomes the third-highest-valued NBA card behind the Michael Jordan-Kobe Bryant card and the one featuring Jordan and LeBron James.

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Kon Knueppel and Dylan Harper join Cooper Flagg with multi-million-dollar card deals

This Cooper Flagg one-of-one card managed to smash quite a few records. Most notable was the gap to the previous Debut Patch autograph trading card record. That previous high was ‘just’ $1.1 million for a Paul Skenes Pittsburgh Pirates card.

Former Duke teammates Kon Knueppel & Flagg
Former Duke teammates Kon Knueppel & Flagg (Image via Bleacher Report/X)

But it so happens that the Mavs guard is not the only one to break the baseball star’s previous record. Both his rookie draft classmates did the same.

Charlotte Hornets’ rising star Kon Knueppel‘s NBA Debut Patch Autograph card went for the highest bid of $2,340,000. At the same time, Dylan Harper’s card sold for $2,880,000. It means fans and collectors are bullish about the potential these three have shown this past season.

It is possible that Knueppel’s card could have demanded a higher value had his Hornets played at least in the first round of the playoffs. On that note, had Harper’s San Antonio Spurs won the NBA championship, his NBA Debut Patch Autograph card could have surged a lot more, as its value would have been priceless.

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Cooper Flagg’s card tops LeBron James and Kobe Bryant’s autographed card

While Cooper Flagg‘s Debut Patch Autograph card could not topple the duo cards from three of the greatest players in NBA history, it still set a new mark for collectors to follow.

But where it did beat Kobe Bryant and LeBron James was when the new owner paid approximately $1.5 million more than a 2007 Exquisite Collection Dual Logoman Autograph card of both those greats that sold for $6.5 million.

While two Dual Logomans continue to hold the all-time NBA trading card sales records, this one could not even surpass the new Debut Patch record. Therefore, it is possible that collectors are valuing cards featuring newer players over those legends.

Despite that, there is no doubt that Michael Jordan still continues to be the king of merchandise valuations. But from what has happened in these past few days, the league’s reigning Rookie of the Year might be on course to take that mantle.

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