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Collectibles On SI

Which Topps Case Hit Could Become the Next Kaboom?

As Topps continues releasing licensed basketball cards, collectors are already searching for the insert that could become the hobby’s next Kaboom.
Jason Neuman|
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It’s difficult to be a sports card collector without knowing what a Kaboom is.

The Panini insert, which originated in the 2013 Panini Innovation Basketball, has become the unquestioned insert of the Panini era. With the addition of green and gold, parallels continue to set new highs while maintaining their status as some of the most recognizable and sought-after inserts across the hobby. And with licensed NBA cards now transitioned to Topps, collectors are left wondering what could become the next Kaboom.

Which cards will generate that same level of excitement across the hobby, and which ones will carry the rising price tag to match? Here are a few possibilities.

2025 Topps Chrome Ultra Violet

Our first candidate is the Ultra Violet All-Stars set from 2025 Topps Chrome. The checklist features 10 NBA All-Stars alongside the top five picks from the most recent NBA Draft, giving the set a strong mix of established stars and immediate rookie hype.

The insert is also a case hit, with Gold Vinyl one-of-one parallels adding another layer of collectability. Another factor working in its favor is just how difficult the cards are to grade. Because of the dark borders and surface sensitivity, high-grade copies have proven incredibly tough to gem, with the LeBron James currently sitting below an 18% PSA 10 rate. Plenty of collectors understand that rarity, and it’s safe to say that some are stashing away pristine copies for the long term.

2025 Topps All Kings

The next insert worth considering is the All Kings insert from 2025 Topps Basketball. This concept follows a trend Topps previously explored in baseball with its All Aces insert, this time centering the design around a playing card theme featuring the King.

Naturally, that concept has helped drive attention toward the LeBron James card, given his longtime “King James” nickname. It’s also worth noting that despite the black-bordered design, the LeBron James PSA 10 gem rate currently sits at 36.56%, a significant increase compared to the Ultra Violet All-Stars insert.

Unlike the Ultra Violets, however, the basketball version of All Kings does not feature a one-of-one parallel. Still, the insert is stunning in hand, and collectors have continued to pay more than double the price of LeBron's Ultra Violet card across multiple grades.

2025 Topps Hidden Gems

Hidden Gems is an insert set that uses a different concept from the other Topps basketball inserts. There is no defined checklist released by Topps before release, hence the "hidden" part of Hidden Gems. What collectors do know, however, is that various players are spread across different Topps basketball products.

While you might be able to pull the LeBron James or Allen Iverson from a pack of 2025 Topps Basketball, you’d need to open Bowman Basketball to pull players such as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander or Vince Carter. The fact that there are a few numbered parallels only adds to the appeal, as if the ridiculously low print run didn’t already.

2025 Topps Chrome Cosmic Planetary Pursuit

The Planetary Pursuit insert may have had its checklist released, but it is certainly unique in its own right. Each of the 10 cards in the set has 10 parallels, including the Sun and all nine planets. And while the Sun insert can be pulled on average approximately once every 80 packs, the further away you get from the Sun, the rarer the cards become, with the elusive Pluto insert falling nearly once every 30,000 packs. This scarcity has collectors excited, and for good reason.

All in all, there’s no sure-fire way to know what insert could become the next Kaboom, but what collectors can do is use all available data to monitor the popularity trends of specific sets. Will the popularity of LeBron’s All Kings card eventually spill over into other players? Will the unique scarcity structure of Planetary Pursuit generate excitement that continues increasing over time? Are these cards getting an unusually high number of watchers shortly after being listed on eBay? Are collectors at card shows repeatedly asking dealers about specific inserts? These are all important questions worth paying attention to.

It’s also worth mentioning that while rarity certainly matters, Kobe Bryant’s 2013 Kaboom has still been graded nearly 200 times by PSA. Personally, I’d rather stick to cards that are semi-rare with overwhelming collector demand than ultra-rare cards that collectors aren’t obsessed with.

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Published | Modified
Jason Neuman
JASON NEUMAN

Jason is a dedicated basketball card collector who recently transitioned into writing and educating others about the sports card industry. Find him on Instagram @jeancardz