Nikola Jokic’s MVP Campaign Has His Card Market Rising

After a respectable argument from Luka Doncic’s stretch of triple-doubles, Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic appears to have regained the lead as the NBA’s best player and frontrunner for MVP.

As expected, Jokic’s lineup of low-population rookies from 2015 have surged in price during his recent run and are among some of the top risers in the sports card hobby. Read about Jokic, Doncic and other trending cards and players in this week’s NBA Market Movers update.

Cards listed below are PSA 10s with a minimum average of $30 and 10 sales over the last 30 days.

PRICE GROWTH PERCENTAGE RISERS

1. Ja Morant 2019 Mosaic Pink Camo PSA 10 📈 206%

2. Larry Bird 1990 Skybox Base PSA 10 📈 202%

3. LeBron James 2019 Mosaic Base PSA 10 📈 145%

4. Nikola Jokic 2015 Donruss Base PSA 10 📈 129%

5. LeBron James 2019 Prizm Green PSA 10 📈 110%

JOKIC MARKET SURGES: Through 41 games, Nikola Jokic has piled up 25-11-10 averages while shooting 37% from 3, and his card market has surged with another season of MVP-level play. The new Nuggets franchise leader in assists, Jokic does it all on the court, and while Luka Doncic has regularly made his own compelling case for MVP, it’s hard to argue that Jokic isn’t the best player in the NBA right now.

Overall, Market Movers has tracked 21 different PSA 10 rookies for Jokic over the last 30 days, and that group is up 25% collectively across 63 sales — it’s always important to remember that Jokic has far fewer rookies than other ultra-modern players, so this often results in his sales volume being much lower than many collectors would expect.

Jokic’s 2015 Donruss Base PSA 10 and 2015 Prizm Base PSA 10 have been the key targets for most of his career, and those cards are up 130% and 26%, respectively, over the last 30 days.

PRICE GROWTH PERCENTAGE DECLINERS

1. Bol Bol 2019 Prizm Silver PSA 10 📉 56%

2. Keldon Johnson 2019 Prizm Silver PSA 10 📉 46%

3. Ja Morant 2019 Donruss Base PSA 10 📉 44%

4. Klay Thompson 2011 SP Authentic Base PSA 10 📉 38%

5. Zion Williamson 2019 Mosaic Pink Camo PSA 10 📉 36%

DOLLAR GROWTH RISERS

1. LeBron James 2003 Topps Chrome Base PSA 10 📈 $1,712

2. Luka Doncic 2018 Prizm Silver PSA 10 📈 $306

3. Nikola Jokic 2015 Donruss Base PSA 10 📈 $248

4. LeBron James 2003 Topps Base PSA 10 📈 $142

5. Luka Doncic 2018 Prizm Red White Blue PSA 10 📈 $142

LUKA STAYS HOT: Sure, Nikola Jokic may have taken back the lead for MVP after Luka Doncic’s run of triple-doubles cooled, but his cards are still trending up in an overall down market.

Doncic’s PSA 10 rookies tracked by Market Movers are up 12% collectively on 970 total sales over the last 30 days, and his key cards from Prizm and Optic are some of the biggest drivers of that positive growth.

His 2018 Prizm Silver PSA 10 has been the biggest riser recently with a $306 price bump over the last month, and is now trending around $2,000. Doncic’s 2018 Optic Holo PSA 10 has also gotten a boost, and is now selling for around $1,800 — though it’s on much lower sales volume.

DOLLAR GROWTH DECLINERS

1. Zion Williamson 2019 Prizm Silver PSA 10 📉 $354

2. Kawhi Leonard 2012 Prizm Base PSA 10 📉 $110

3. Jalen Green 2021 Prizm Silver PSA 10 📉 $75

4. Kyrie Irving 2012 Prizm Base PSA 10 📉 $58

5. Giannis Antetokounmpo 2013 Select Base PSA 10 📉 $55

KAWHI STRUGGLES: Kawhi Leonard has never had the card market many would expect for a player so talented, but things continue to trend down as he’s turning in one of his worst seasons in recent memory.

Leonard missed all of last year with an ACL injury and, not counting his nine-game season in 2017-2018, he’s currently averaging his fewest points since 2014, his fewest rebounds since 2016, his fewest assists since 2018, and is shooting his worst percentage from 3 ever.

Leonard’s PSA 10 rookies tracked by Market Movers are down 15% collectively over the last 30 days and his signature 2012 Prizm Base PSA 10 has been the biggest decliner with a 27% drop over that same period.

SALES VOLUME LEADERS

1. Zion Williamson 2019 Prizm Base PSA 10 📈 180 sales

2. Ja Morant 2019 Prizm Base PSA 10 📈 160 sales

3. Luka Doncic 2018 Prizm Base PSA 10 📈 156 sales

4. Luka Doncic 2019 Donruss Base PSA 10 📈 133 sales

5. Luka Doncic 2019 Prizm Base PSA 10 📈 107 sales

POPULAR SEALED WAX (HOBBY BOXES WITH MIN. 10 SALES OVER LAST 30 DAYS)

1. 2022 Hoops Basketball 📈 3%

2. 2021 Contenders Optic Basketball 📈 5%

3. 2022 Chronicles Draft Picks Basketball 📈 5%

4. 2021 Chronicles Basketball 📈 27%

5. 2021 Select Basketball 📈 3%

MARKET PULSE INDEXES OVER LAST 30 DAYS

Basketball 2018-2020: 📈 7%

• KEY RISER: Luka Doncic 2018 Optic Holo PSA 10 📈 27%
• KEY DECLINER: Zion Williamson 2019 Prizm Silver PSA 10 📉 29%

Basketball 2010-2017: 📉 2%

• KEY RISER: Klay Thompson 2012 Prizm Base PSA 10 📈 50%
• KEY DECLINER: Jayson Tatum 2017 Prizm Silver PSA 10 📉 20%

Basketball 2000-2009: 📈 9%

• KEY RISER: LeBron James 2003 Topps Chrome Base PSA 10 📈 30%
• KEY DECLINER: LeBron James 2003 Bowman R/S Base PSA 10 📉 23%

Basketball 1990-1999: 📈 1%

• KEY RISER: Kobe Bryant 1996 Hoops Base PSA 10 📈 44%
• KEY DECLINER: Kobe Bryant 1996 Topps Chrome Base PSA 10 📉 33%

Basketball 1980-1989: 📈 3%

• KEY RISER: Michael Jordan 1986 Fleer Base PSA 8 📈 4%
• KEY DECLINER: Bird/Erving/Johnson 1980 Topps PSA 8 📉 13%

Basketball 1979 & Older: 📉 4%

• KEY RISER: Jerry West 1961 Fleer In Action PSA 6 📈 22%
• KEY DECLINER: Moses Malone 1975 Topps Base PSA 9 📉 26%

With the Sports Card Investor app, you can profit from the hobby you love by keeping up with trending cards, tracking real-time prices with Market Movers and buying items on eBay. Download the industry-leading app here for Apple or Android

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