The Knicks are one victory away from their first Eastern Conference finals appearance in a quarter-century.
And much of it is thanks to Jalen Brunson, New York's relatively low-key 2022 free-agency signing turned mega-star.
In Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against Boston, Brunson led the Knicks with 39 points (26 coming in the second half) and 12 assists. The alleged 6-foot-2 guard has now set a record for the most fourth-quarter points (102) in the first 10 games of a postseason, surpassing Kobe Bryant’s 100 set in 2001 and 2003.
Brunson’s heroics are well-documented. He has been lauded as the most clutch player in the NBA, a footwork savant and the savior of New York basketball.
Despite all of that, very little of this magic has been reflected in his card market.
Brunson has had just three cards sell for more than $20,000.
Jayson Tatum has had 107. Trae Young has 120. Ja Morant has more than 200.
According to Market Movers, there has been $838,000 in total sales volume of Brunson cards over the past 365 days. That ranks 34th among basketball players over that time period, behind names such as Brandon Miller ($2.3 million), Paolo Banchero ($2.3 million), Amen Thompson ($1.6 million), Cade Cunningham ($1 million), Trae Young ($981,000) and Scoot Henderson ($858,300).
Brunson’s most expensive card sale to date belongs to his 2018 Panini Prizm Nebula Choice Prizm No. 250 1/1, which fetched $96,661 in November 2024. A collector was shopping that same card for $300 on Blowout in 2019.
But given Brunson's on-court performance, a potential NBA Finals appearance in America's biggest market and his headline-grabbing style of play, one would think his card market would be far ahead of where it currently sits.
One reason behind the lack of pop enjoyed by contemporaries, such as Young, is Brunson was a second-round pick, overshadowed by Luka Doncic for much of his early career and the recipient of little to no hype.
It’s often said the card market values hype more than performance — this is why sales of players such as Jason Dominguez and Paul Skenes have blown away those of Hall of Famers. But the hype train might cut both ways. Not only is it more valuable than the output on the field or court, but it’s actually a prerequisite.
In the case of Brunson, whose rise to All-Star status came suddenly and without much expectation, it could be his card market will never achieve the heights of a top prospect purely due to the fact he was never considered a top prospect.
Perhaps this is the same phenomenon seen in the market for Nikola Jokic, who despite putting on multiple seasons of the greatest offensive basketball in history, ranks behind names like Anthony Davis.
Then there is the fact all of Brunson’s top cards — his rookie cards — feature him in a Dallas Mavericks uniform. While his marketability is certainly boosted thanks to playing in Madison Square Garden, many of the Knicks fans who would likely be his most ardent collectors would be turned off by any image featuring Brunson in anything other than orange and blue.
Whatever the reason might be, Brunson’s card market lags behind his ever-growing lore on the court … and if things continue to progress as they have been, that gap could only grow wider.
Will Stern is a reporter and editor for cllct, the premier company for collectible culture.