Bam Adebayo is widely considered one of the most productive and versatile players in the NBA. But his reputation as a defensive anchor for the Miami Heat rather than a high-flying scorer doesn’t typically motivate card collectors to scoop up his key rookie cards with much regularity. That changed last Tuesday when he scored 83 points in Miami’s win over the Washington Wizards.
Adebayo’s new single-game scoring high, which topped Kobe Bryant’s 81-point performance in 2006 and trails only Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-point masterpiece from 1962, completely transformed interest in his trading cards overnight. Once considered a great player without a robust collectibles market, Adebayo instantly became a hobby darling.
For a day at least.
In a ritual well known to the hobby, card collectors flocked to eBay in the aftermath of the historic performance with the goal of buying Adebayo cards priced for an All-Star forward, not an 83-point scorer. A search for confirmed sales of Adebayo cards using eBay research tool Terapeak over the last 30 days shows how impactful significant cultural moments can be. According to Terapeak, there were 1,124 sales for Adebayo cards from Feb. 15 through March 9 with no more than 135 in a single day. The tool then tracked more than 5,000 sales for Adebayo on March 10 alone, most of which were completed during or immediately after the game.
His mid- and high-end card market has surged as well, according to trading card pricing tool Card Ladder. Prior to last Tuesday, the last public Adebayo sale to top $1,000 was back on Feb. 19. Card Ladder has logged 33 sales of $1,000 or more in the week since — 14 on March 10 alone — including the $11,050 paid for a 2017 Panini Donruss Optic Fast Break Black Autograph 1/1, which is now his second highest card sale ever.
The highest public sale for any Adebayo card to date is the $11,656 paid for his 2017 Panini Prizm Black 1/1 PSA 8.5 in October 2024. That card resurfaced on eBay following his 83-point game, but has yet to sell with a lofty asking price of $1 million.
Adebayo’s market in the week since has followed a common trajectory, with interest peaking in the moments during and after a historic performance but eventually trending back toward relative normalcy. Sales volume for Adebayo on eBay more than halved (2,381) the day after the 83-point performance and has trended closer to just 300 sales per day since March 14. The average sale price over the last week has been cut too, dropping from $46 on March 11 to just $13 on Monday.
The story of Bam Adebayo’s card market in a single chart.
eBay research tool Terapeak logged 1,124 sales for Adebayo from Feb. 15 to March 9.
Then he scored 83 points and eBay logged 5,035 sales in a single day.
A week later, the hobby darling is no more. pic.twitter.com/J4rCFyPrM6
— Ben Burrows (@BenMBurrows) March 17, 2026
Buying cards to commemorate a historic performance is a common and fun part of collecting, but Adebayo’s market is another cautionary tale for those buying in around a singular event. It’s typically sellers already holding the relevant cards that stand to profit during iconic moments, with buyers often watching values collapse after the initial frenzy. Adebayo’s game has since regressed to the mean so his card market has drifted back down too, but having an 83-point performance attached to his name could raise the floor value on his cards for the foreseeable future.
The lesson here? Always be quick to list cards you’re looking to cash out on when a performance captures a new level of attention and if you’re looking to buy, try to fight the urge to do it immediately. You’ll get a better deal if you wait a week.
Three Bam Adebayo rookie cards to know:
2017 Prizm Silver #51 (PSA 10 sales: $40 on 3/3, $269 on 3/11, $120 on 3/17)
2017 Optic Holo #187 (PSA 10 sales: $25 on 2/7, $143 on 3/11, $115 on 3/13)
2017 Optic Rated Rookie Signatures (Ungraded sales: $80 on 8/4, $230 on 3/11, $180 on 3/12)
The Athletic maintains full editorial independence in all our coverage. When you click or make purchases through our links, we may earn a commission.
