Kevin Durant Joins Houston Rockets, Pulls Kobe Bryant Card in First Pack Opening
Even though the NBA hasn’t closed out the season yet, the action off the court has spiked after the Houston Rockets acquired Kevin Durant in a trade. And among the All-Star’s first moves is to find a classic Topps card of the late Kobe Bryant in a pack he first ripped as part of H-Town.
Right after hosting a panel at the Fanatics Fest in New York on Sunday Night, Durant was seen opening a pack of Topps 2007-08 Basketball Cards. As seen in a video posted by the card company, the two-time Finals MVP pulled guys from the league during that era. These include Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Smush Parker, Marcus Williams, Chris Wilcox, Shawn Marion, and Josh Smith.
He also found a couple of rookie cards from the same year he entered the NBA, like Julian Wright and Javaris Crittenton. The real kicker, though, is finding the Black Mamba in the last spot. While it’s only a base parallel of the late Los Angeles Lakers icon, the smile on Durant’s face was evident after finding the card.
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As it stands, Durant has always held Bryant in high regard, especially after playing with the five-time champion with the 2012 United States Men’s Olympic Basketball Team. Since then, he has formed a close bond with him until Bryant’s death in 2020.
While the card itself won’t break the basketball card market, the significance of Durant pulling the Lakers legend is a moment that highlights several key factors. For starters, there’s the significance of Bryant in the hobby and the close relationship between the two. Of course, there’s also the development that Durant ripped this pack right after finding out he’s going to Houston next season.
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Before opening the said Topps Basketball card pack, Durant found out he was being traded to the Rockets while hosting a panel at Fanatics Fest. In return, the Phoenix Suns will be getting Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, the 10th pick in the draft this year, and five second-round picks.
The second-round picks include the 59th in the upcoming draft, two next year, one belonging to the Boston Celtics in 2030, and another in 2032.
This latest development adds Durant to a promising Rockets core of Fred VanVleet, Amen Thompson, and Alperen Sengun. And with Ime Udoka coaching the team, expectations are pretty high for Houston when the new season starts later this year.
Even at his age right now, Durant can still bring a lot of value to the table for Houston. This comes after the two-time NBA champion posted averages of 26.6 points on 52 percent shooting from the field, six rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 1.2 blocks per game last season.
It remains to be seen how Durant’s trade to the Rockets will impact his value in the hobby. In any case, a lot of collectors will be keeping a close eye on how his stock will move soon.
Julio Munar is a sports and culture writer. His expertise revolves around the NBA, but his passion is sports cards and collectibles. He has written for ClutchPoints and The Manila Times, among other outlets.