The Hobby Impact of LeBron James Possibly Joining the Golden State Warriors

LeBron James announced earlier today that he plans to enter free agency and will play for a new team next year. This means LeBron James will not be back with the Los Angeles Lakers and faces a big "Decision" again. Regardless of what the decision is, the hobby impact of where LeBron lands will be significant.

One major rumor currently circulating is that the Golden State Warriors are interested in adding LeBron and Anthony Davis, in hopes of forming a superteam. So, for the sake of argument, here is what that might mean for the hobby if this scenario were to unfold.

The Potential Hobby Impact of LeBron James Joining The Warriors

If LeBron James were to join the Golden State Warriors, they would immediately be viewed as contenders in the Western Conference and one of the favorites for the 2027 NBA Finals. Arguably, they would be a team on a shortlist capable of denying the San Antonio Spurs or Oklahoma City Thunder a trip to the NBA Finals. It is also possible that interest in LeBron's cards could see a brief spike. While prices for LeBron's rookies are already healthy, joining a contending team could prompt collectors to speculate what another NBA title would do to his value.

For context purposes, here is what LeBron's Flagship and Topps Chrome rookies currently sell for in a PSA 10 grade:

Flagship: $5,000-$6,000

Topps Chrome: $15,000

If LeBron were to join the Warriors, it would be interesting to compare these prices after the announcement. They would almost certainly go up, but as the LeBron market is up nearly 80 percent over the last year, it will be interesting to see how much higher they can go.

The Hobby Impact on Stephen Curry

Stephen Curry has been with the Warriors throughout his career and is a heavyweight of his own within the hobby. If LeBron James were to join the team, Curry would likely also see a small rise in his cards within the hobby and among collectors. For continuity purposes, here are what two Curry rookies (Flagship and Chrome) sell for in a PSA 10 and 9 respectively:

Flagship: $5,000 or more

Topps Chrome (PSA 9): $14,200

These cards seem to always catch fire anytime Curry is playing well, and the addition of LeBron James could very easily cause the value to spike. If a championship is won by the end of next season, who knows what the value might be?

The Hobby Impact on Anthony Davis

The impact on Anthony Davis might be the most murky out of these three players. Davis would naturally be seen as the "3rd" of this hypothetical big three, and it is tough within the hobby for big men to carry value for a prolonged period of time. Even legendary centers like Shaq are undervalued to many collectors in 2026. Since Davis was drafted after Topps originally lost the license, we will use his 2012 Prizm rookie card as a guide:

Prizm: $80

While he might see a short spike if this scenario were to play out, it would likely not be as significant as Curry and LeBron.

LeBron James' free agency decision will be paid attention to by many collectors, as it will have a significant hobby impact. If he decides to sign with the Golden State Warriors, it will impact the market for Stephen Curry and possibly for Anthony Davis if the current rumors play out. In either case, the NBA offseason is continuing to make headlines.

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