Cooper Flagg's rookie debut patch card sells for record $8.04 million

Cooper Flagg's rookie season added yet another accolade -- and this time, it's historic.

Early Friday morning, Flagg's NBA rookie debut patch card sold for a whopping $8.04 million in Fanatics Collect's September Premier Auction. The card received 83 bids during the two-week auction.

According to Fanatics, a late bidding war took place for the card, and the price skyrocketed from $3.5 million at approximately 9 p.m. ET Thursday to $8.04 million at 2 a.m. ET Friday.

The sale set records for the most expensive basketball card sale featuring a single player and the most expensive debut patch sale, passing Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes' debut patch record of $1.1 million.

It also is the third-most-expensive NBA card sale, trailing dual card sales of LeBron James-Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant-Jordan, Fanatics says.

In the same auction, two other debut patch cards sold for high amounts -- San Antonio Spurs guard Dylan Harper's debut patch sold for $2.88 million, and Charlotte Hornets sharpshooter Kon Knueppel's sold for $2.34 million.

In early August, the Dallas Mavericks also made put out a "bounty" trade offer similar to an NBA trade to the person who finds the card. The offer included two Mavericks season premium lower level tickets for 32 years, a signed, game-worn Flagg rookie jersey with a postgame photo with the star.

They will also receive a road trip experience to see the Mavericks face the Boston Celtics with round-trip airfare, hotel accommodations and game tickets covered. A private photo shoot with the Rookie of the Year trophy, which Flagg won last season, the Larry O'Brien Trophy, as well as a VIP tour of Dallas' practice facility with a team meet-and-greet is also part of the deal.

Flagg's card was pulled in a break by Rhody Breakers in Rhode Island and belonged to collector Jason Williams of South Carolina, according to Fanatics. He eventually put up the card for auction with Fanatics Collect.

The three cards rank among the most expensive debut patch sales of all time since the concept, which has expanded to leagues including the NFL and UEFA, was first introduced in MLB in 2023.

What adds a more historic spin to the sale is that this is the first class of NBA debut patch cards for which each rookie drafted in the 2025 class wore a patch in his first game that was removed at the game's conclusion, put into a card and signed by the player.

Flagg, 19, made his NBA debut with the Mavericks on Oct. 22, when he dropped 10 points and snatched 10 rebounds in a 125-92 loss against the Spurs.