Chris Paul Cards to Buy for Every Budget After His Retirement
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Chris Paul recently announced his retirement from professional basketball and leaves the NBA with a career that will go down as one of the best in history. Despite missing out on the Larry O'Brien trophy, it's undeniable just what kind of impact he had on the sport after 21 years of performing at the highest level.
Everyone knows about the highs and lows of his professional career, but his sports cards are a different story. CP3's cards have been widely overlooked compared to those of his fellow veterans, leaving a lot of hidden beauties at pretty affordable price points.
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Note: this list will consist of cards that are readily available for purchase and exclude extremely rare products such as 1/1s.
Under $50 - 2005 Topps Chrome Chris Paul #168
$50 might not seem like a lot when talking cards, but it's definitely not an insignificant amount either. New collectors who aren't sure what they want yet and younger hobbyists just getting into cards start somewhere, and $50 is a solid price point to begin.
For right around 50 bucks, you can pick up a 2005 Topps Chrome Chris Paul #168 Rookie Card in a PSA 9 grade. The card itself gets even cheaper should you prefer an ungraded version, which is selling for around $20 on eBay at the moment.
It's really hard to go wrong with this one. Not only do you get a graded card for under $50, you also get Chris Paul in his debut year Hornets jersey. The icing on the cake is the set this came in—the ever-popular Topps Chrome.
Under $100 - Multiple Chris Paul Auto RCs
$50 to $100 isn't that steep of a jump, but doubling your budget will give you almost quintuple the quality in cards available for purchase.
At the $100 price point, multiple Rookie Autos of Chris Paul are already up for grabs. It's absolutely safe to claim that these are undervalued for such a legend who will be remembered as a Top 10 Point Guard of all time, but said valuation just opens up the Hobby to more of his loyal fanbase.
Paul's 2005-06 SP Authentic RC Autograph #/1299 pictured above recently sold for only $80. Other Rookie Autos with similar sale prices include his 2005-06 Press Pass Authentics Wake Forest card and his RC Auto from 2005-06 Upper Deck Trilogy Signs of Stardom.
Under $250 - 2005 Topps Chrome Refractor Chris Paul /999 #168
There are definitely more Rookie Autos for Chris Paul in this budget, but honestly, it's hard to compete with a Topps Chrome Refractor. This is essentially the flashier, more valuable version of the entry from the Under $50 category.
A PSA 9 copy of this card recently sold for $198 at auction, and ungraded versions are priced around the $150-160 mark. Alternatively, one can purchase the PSA 10 version of his base Topps Chrome RC and still have change to spare.
Under $500 - Chris Paul's Clippers Autos
As much as rookie cards hold such a premium in terms of demand and collectability for any player, Chris Paul won't be remembered for his time on the New Orleans Hornets. When stories about him are told in the years to come, people will remember him as the Point God of the Lob City Clippers.
Lots of Paul's cards in the under $500 range are Patch Autos, and there just happen to be a number of said product made during his original Clippers stint. The card pictured above, a Ruby Relic /15 in BGS 9 AUTO 10 grades from 2015-16 Panini Flawless, went for only $405 last January 2026.
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Under $1000 - 2005-06 Upper Deck Exquisite Chris Paul Auto Patches RC /100
This is the one to have for anyone whose budget extends to around $1,000. It's licensed, numbered, game-worn, and most importantly, an on-card auto. Everything a serious collectors nitpicks in a high-value card is checked in Chris Paul's 2005-06 Upper Deck Exquisite RPA /100.
This particular card sold twice in the same day—one graded by BGS and the other by PSA. The BGS 8.5 version went for $997.89 while the PSA AUTO 10-graded copy went for less at only $835.00.
Past the $1,000 is basically free-for-all territory when it comes to Chris Paul's cards. Most of his true chases come in the $800 to $2000 range anyway, with his only five-digit card ever being a PSA 10 Kaboom! from 2013 Panini Innovation.
Joaqin is a journalist with a strong passion for the Hobby. He has published work for HLTV.org, Rappler.com, and DLSU Sports. A decade-long Pokémon TCG collector, he recently shifted into sports cards to collect Lakers, Dodgers and Chargers players with growing PCs of Shohei Ohtani and Justin Herbert.