Cooper Flagg is months away from his first NBA regular-season game, but that hasn’t stopped collectors from chasing just about every piece of memorabilia relating to the highly touted No. 1 draft pick.
The latest example of the booming market for Flagg collectibles came Tuesday afternoon, when his NBA Draft Combine jersey sold for $22,860 at Sotheby’s.
According to Market Movers, the market for Flagg cards has heated up over the past 90 days, with sales volume surging nearly 300% to more than $400,000 over the time period.
As Sotheby’s is the official game-worn partner of the NBA, and typically sells significant rookie jerseys within a few weeks of landmark moments such as NBA Summer League and regular-season debuts, this is likely just the first chance for collectors to grab a piece of Flagg’s early career. And if history is any indication, the bidding for Flagg’s memorabilia will get expensive.
Victor Wembanyama was the most recent draft pick to generate similar excitement and hype as Flagg, and his rookie debut jersey sold at Sotheby’s in November 2023 for $762,000, a month after the game was played.
Tom Brady’s shirt from the 2000 NFL Draft combine sold for a record $144,000 in December 2024.
Will Stern is a reporter and editor for cllct, the premier company for collectible content.