The Return of a Classic: Topps and Fanatics Bring the NBA License Home
For the first time in 16 years, collectors are about to rip an officially licensed pack of Topps NBA cards again. On October 1, 2025, Topps—now part of Fanatics—officially regained the NBA trading card license, marking one of the most anticipated returns in modern hobby history.
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Topps has produced basketball cards in recent years, but without the official team logos and marks that make them as desired by collectors. On October 23rd, it’s the real thing—the first licensed Topps NBA cards since the 2009–10 season and the iconic Stephen Curry rookie. For longtime collectors, it’s more than a comeback; it’s a homecoming.
To get a closer look at the moment and what’s next, we sat down with Fanatics Collectibles CEO Mike Mahan, who compared the journey to getting your driver’s license after years of waiting.
“When I started here three and a half years ago, the NBA license felt a million miles away,” Mahan told Collectibles on SI. “Now that it’s here, it feels like we’ve been counting down to it forever.”
A New Era for Topps—and for the Hobby
Topps and basketball go way back—from the 1957 Bob Cousy rookie and ’70s Julius Erving cards to the 1996–97 Kobe Bryant and 2009–10 Stephen Curry rookies that helped define a generation of collectors. But after 2009, Panini took the court with exclusive NBA rights, shaping the modern hobby through releases like Prizm, Select, and National Treasures.
Now the court is opening back up. And Fanatics isn’t just bringing Topps back—it’s rewriting the playbook for the entire trading card industry.
Over the past three years, Fanatics has steadily acquired the biggest sports card licenses once held by Panini. It already produces all MLB and MLBPA cards under Topps and will add NFL and NFLPA rights in 2026. Fanatics also now controls exclusive card rights for the English Premier League and Formula 1.
“For us to have the NBA license is special,” Mahan said. “It’s another canvas to paint on and another collecting base to speak to.”
The new lineup blends nostalgia with next-gen energy, connecting old-school set design with the flash and personality of today’s NBA. It’s where seasoned hobbyists, casual fans, and a new wave of collectors all meet on the same court. You can scope out all the rookies and stars, veterans, autographs, relics and more on the full checklist.
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Global Tip-Off, Classic Feel
Topps’ first officially licensed NBA product didn’t even debut in the U.S.—it launched in China through a partnership with Kayou, timed with the NBA China Games. That move signaled Fanatics’ global vision for the brand.
Here at home, the countdown is on for October 23, when 2025–26 Topps Basketball officially hits shelves. “People are going to be excited about Topps flagship—and then even more when Topps Chrome hits,” enthused Mahan.
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Chase Cards, Case Hits, and History in the Making
And collectors have good reason to be hyped. The 2025–26 Topps Basketball debut features a powerhouse rookie class led by Cooper Flagg and the first-ever Victor Wembanyama autographs in a Spurs jersey. The 300-card base set spans stars, legends, and newcomers, with combo cards, autographs, relics, and Super Short-Print inserts adding chase after chase.
Topps also brings Golden Mirror photo variations to the hardwood for the first time, alongside ultra-rare Home Court and Comic Court case hits, bold Rookie Photoshoot autographs, and more. And yes — collectors can now chase fully licensed LeBron James autographs, exclusively in this release. This is the drop basketball collectors have been waiting for.
Every element of the 2025–26 release is designed to celebrate the game—past, present, and future. It’s Topps doing what it does best: turning basketball into something you can hold, trade, and remember.
Fanatics’ approach blends nostalgia and innovation. “You want to honor the history and traditions of the hobby,” Mahan said. “But you also want to bring a modern sensibility and fresh approach.”
The NBA Debut Patch Era Begins
One of Fanatics’ most successful innovations—the Debut Patch—is coming to the NBA for the first time. Each one-of-one features a patch worn by a player in their first professional game, capturing a moment that can never be repeated.
“It’s not just about any game—it’s about the moment,” Mahan said. “That first time they step on the court means something, and given the rookie class this year, there's never been a better time to launch this."
When the Topps MLB Debut Patch was unveiled in baseball, fans and players alike embraced it as well—often collecting their own debut patches or trading for them. It’s a sign of how blurred the lines have become between players and collectors—a community united by shared passion for the hobby.
And fans can expect the same passion from a growing number of NBA players too. "In the NBA, you have Karl-Anthony Towns, Grant Williams, Zach LaVine—they're all collectors," offered Mahan. "They're doing trades, hopping in breaks, coming to rip nights—all which is expanding and extending the magic of what this hobby is through community."
"Throughout the 2025-26 NBA regular season, the jerseys of the 2024-25 Kia NBA Most
Valuable Player, Kia Rookie of the Year and Kia Defensive Player of the Year will feature the
Gold NBA Logoman Patch on the back. Theses patches will later be inserted into trading cards and
this program will continue for future seasons" according to Fanatics.
A Market on the Move
Collectors see the return of Topps NBA cards as a chance to reconnect with the brand’s history while exploring what Fanatics can build next. Whether you’re ripping your first pack or revisiting a brand you grew up with, Topps’ return to the NBA feels like the hobby opening back up to everyone.
“This is going to mark the next generation of trading card products,” Mahan said. “We’re ready—and I think collectors are too.”
Lucas Mast is a writer based in California’s Bay Area, where he’s a season ticket holder for St. Mary’s basketball and a die-hard Stanford athletics fan. A lifelong collector of sneakers, sports cards, and pop culture, he also advises companies shaping the future of the hobby and sports. He’s driven by a curiosity about why people collect—and what those items reveal about the moments and memories that matter most.
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