Giannis Antetokounmpo won back-to-back NBA MVP Awards in 2019 and 2020. He joined an esteemed list with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and LeBron James as the only players in NBA history to win the accolade twice before turning 26.
The ‘Greek Freak’ went on to become an NBA champion in 2021 after leading the Bucks to their first NBA championship since 1971, picking up the Finals MVP award in the same season.
Here’s a roundup with a trio of the best Giannis Antetokounmpo rookie cards, along with our thoughts on their current investment potential.
The Best Giannis Antetokounmpo Rookie Cards
The best Antetokounmpo cards are found in 2013-14 sets, and come with an RC logo attached. We’ve narrowed it down to a list containing three top options.
3. 2013-14 Panini Select Giannis Antetokounmpo RC #178 (eBay)
2013-14 Panini Select Basketball is where you’ll find the first card to make it onto the list. Giannis is bursting out of the borderlines in a great action shot, with a prominent RC logo found in the top right corner. A large Select logo takes pride of place at the bottom.
Prizms are always popular, so we’d stick to parallels if possible. Base copies might be unnumbered, but they’ve held value well ever since they were originally released.
- Parallels: Prizms, Purple Prizms #/99, Blue Prizms #/49, Gold Prizms #/10, Green Prizms #/5, Black Prizms 1/1
2. 2013-14 Panini Gold Standard Giannis Antetokounmpo RC #231 (eBay)
2013-14 Panini Gold Standard Basketball is a high-end product. It has a number of options that actually contain the precious metal within the card stock.
However, the Giannis rookie card is found in the Rookie Autograph Jerseys subset, so you’ll find a large auto and a small patch to go along with an RC logo and the gold motif.
Offering something a little different compared to the typical Prizm card, it’s a definite eye-catcher. A PSA 10 copy of the base version sold for $10,900 in February 2022, so it will take a significant amount to add a flawless golden Giannis RC to your collection. There are also a duo of parallels, including a one of one.
- Parallels: Platinum #/10, Black 1/1
1. 2013-14 Panini Prizm Giannis Antetokounmpo RC #290 (eBay)
The flagship 2013-14 Panini Prizm Basketball set is where we finish. As always, Panini has opted for a strong action shot, alongside full-bleed borders printed on chromium stock.
There’s a rainbow of Prizm parallels to chase, while it features a simple image of Antetokounmpo with a ball clasped in both hands. Despite the lack of an auto, rarer pristine copies will sell for big bucks.
- Parallels: Prizm, Green Prizm (Retail), Blue Prizm (Wal-Mart), Red Prizm (Target), Red White and Blue Pulsar Prizm (Retail Multipack), Light Blue Die-Cut Prizm #/199 (Jumbo Hobby), Orange Prizm #/60 (Jumbo Hobby), Purple Die-Cut Prizm #/49 (Hobby), Gold Prizm #/10, Black Prizm 1/1 (Hobby), Black Prizm Mosaic 1/1 (Jumbo Hobby)
Giannis Antetokounmpo Cards: Buyers Guide
Here are our thoughts on the current state of the Giannis Antetokounmpo rookie card market.
There are so many Antetokounmpo cards to choose from, and that’s without taking into account the many cards released after the 2013-14 season. You’ll be able to find graded copies of the Prizm cards for a more affordable price if you’re hunting for cheaper investment pieces.
The best option has to be one of the rarer Prizm RCs. The 2013-14 Panini Gold Standard card is also a viable option that attracts a lot of interest at auction. There’s little chance that you’ll be able to pick up a copy without stiff competition.
Giannis Antetokounmpo Rookie Cards: Buying/Selling Advice
Giannis is one of the hottest players on the market right now if you’re looking at RCs. It’s no surprise given his meteoric rise to the top, or the fact he was named as the Finals MVP in 2021.
Investors are banking on him to continue to perform, and it would undoubtedly see rookie card values rise long term. At the current time of writing, if Giannis is a unanimous All-NBA First Team selection this season, he would be the first to do it four years in a row since at least 1966-67.
The only others to have done it three years straight are Michael Jordan, LeBron James and James Harden. It’s esteemed company. A fourth selection would be yet another record to add to the growing list of reasons to pay attention to Giannis.