Courtyard’s 2026-27 NBA Card Tier List: The Most Popular Basketball Cards to Collect

After another eventful offseason (read: “LeBron James”), the tip-off for the 2026-27 NBA season is right around the corner.

With seemingly everyone under the sun putting out a list ranking basketball’s brightest stars, we figured we’d get in on the fun—with a twist. Enter: Courtyard’s list of the basketball players collectors keep, flip, and ship.

On Courtyard, every collector that purchases a pack of graded and authenticated digital basketball cards has the ability to accept an instant buyback offer for the card they’ve just pulled or keep it in their Courtyard collection, either selling it on the Courtyard Marketplace (which has zero seller fees) at a later date or have it redeemed and shipped to them so they can proudly display it IRL.

This got us thinking: Which players do basketball card collectors choose to keep the most? …and does anyone actually like Michael Porter Jr.?

From superstars like Luka Doncic, Steph Curry, and Victor Wembanyama, to rising stars like Stephon Castle, Cooper Flagg, and more, our list isn’t a skills-based ranking; this isn’t about Nikola Jokic’s triple doubles or Giannis Antetokounmpo’s ability to cover the full court in just four fast-break strides—it’s about how you, the collectors on Courtyard, react to the players you pull.

Without further ado, here are your rankings. Holy Tyrese Maxey, Batman!

S-Tier: The Most Popular Basketball Cards on Courtyard

It’s lonely at the top, and nobody knows that better than King James.

The S-Tier has just five players: Victor Wembanyama, Stephen Curry, LeBron James, Jalen Brunson, and Tyrese Maxey.

Wemby makes sense, given his meteoric rise. I mean, it’s hard not to be impressed by an alien! It’s Brunson and Maxey that are the clear outliers here. Brunson, whose Dallas Mavericks Prizm rookie card looks odd considering his recent work propelling the New York Knicks to their first NBA Championship since 1973, does fit the bill based on recency bias. Maxey, whos talent is certainly up there amongst the best in the league, is a bit different. If the young guard can get the Philadelphia 76ers over the hump, we’ll be having a totally different conversation next summer. 

For now, it’s a rare sight to see Maxey cards valued more than those from Cooper Flagg—especially given The Hobby’s demand for the latest and greatest rookies, even if it comes at the price of overlooking more talented players.

A-Tier: Sleeping on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Hyping Donovan Clingan

Cooper Flagg won Rookie of the Year. Stephon Castle just played meaningful minutes in the NBA Finals as a sophomore. Luka Doncic is a two-time scoring champion that’s dragged a team to the NBA Finals and made six All-NBA First Team appearances. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has two (consecutive) MVP Awards under his belt. 

‍Donovan Clingan, is, well, pretty good?

The A-Tier of these rankings see generational greats like Anthony Edwards alongside Clingan and Ausar Thompson. That’s not a knock on either of the talented youngsters, either. Clingan took a big leap last year and proved he could log major minutes, while Thompson anchored the defense on a Pistons team that captured the top seed in the Eastern Conference…it’s just surprising to see basketball card collectors assign such high value to players that fall outside of the top-10 in the league in jerseys sales. 

Props to you guys, honestly.

B-Tier: Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, United Once Again

The B-Tier is where things really get interesting. 

On one hand, you have Alex Sarr, who does seem to have a bright future (even if he plays for the Washington Wizards). On the other, you have future Hall of Famers like Nikola Jokic and Kevin Durant, along with Damian Lillard, who made the list of the 75 Greatest Players in NBA History as part of the NBA 75th Anniversary list.

Bulls fans will certainly be happy to see that Matas Buzelis made the list. Is his future as bright as basketball card collectors think it is?

…Pistons fans, look away: When basketball card collectors pulled Jalen Duren, their first reaction was to take the buyback offer and flip him. Maybe they know something Pistons General Manager Trajan Langdon doesn’t. Let’s hope that 5-year, $200 million contract looks cheap by the time he’s 27-years-old.

Lastly, it’s nice to see former Celtics stars Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum reunited. WIth Brown now in Philly, we’ll see how far Tatum can carry Boston—and if Brown can find a way to earn himself another NBA Finals MVP Award.

C-Tier: Jimmy Butler, Kon Knueppel, and Fan Favorites

If Jimmy Butler saw himself listed alongside Kon Knueppel, he’d likely lose his mind. 

“The G stands for Gets” and while this isn’t a skill-based list—and Knueppel looked great in his rookie season—it’s odd seeing the Hornets sharp shooter alongside Austin Reaves, Bam Adebayo, Kawhi Leonard, and other stars of the league. 

It’s also weird to think that fellow C-tier players Brandon Miller and LaMelo Ball are no longer teammates, but we’re excited to see how the duo of Ant and LaMelo plays out for the Timberwolves. Stay safe, Minneapolis drivers!

It’s also going to be weird to see Ja Morant in anything but a Memphis Grizzlies jersey, but that move was definitely for the best for both parties.

(Oh, and we’d be remiss if we didn’t end this section with a quick RIP to the GOAT: former NBA player and Chicago Bulls announcer Stacey King)

D-Tier: When I Flip, You Flip, We Flip

Mikal Bridges played a key role in the Knicks’ Championship run. Collectors don’t seem to care, taking the buyback as soon as they saw the versatile forward’s rookie card in their Courtyard basketball packs.

Now, we get it. That kind of makes sense. For a while, even Knicks fans had seemingly turned on the player Leon Rose traded so much draft capital for…but why are you guys so down on Chet Holmgren?!

He’s got an NBA Championship ring, he was selected as an NBA All-Star for the first time in 2025-26, and he was named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team the same year. Not to mention he’s only 24, and he plays for an Oklahoma City Thunder team that is loaded with both talent and picks for years to come. 

You guys can hate on Cheddar Bob all you want, but we’re certainly surprised that you’re more hyped on Zion Williamson, that’s for sure. Look, we all want to believe, but will he ever live up to his full potential?

F-Tier: The Most Flipped Basketball Cards on Courtyard

The F-Tier is the end of the line, and it’s got an interesting mix of players that basketball card collectors seemingly despise: RJ Barrett, Brandon Ingram, Darius Garland, Michael Porter Jr., Evan Mobley, and Jaren Jackson Jr.

The funny thing is, there are some genuinely good players here: Jaren Jackson Jr.’s got new scenery in Utah, where he should pair nicely alongside Lauri Markkanen; RJ Barrett hasn’t quite met the expectations warranted by his pick in the draft, but this new look Toronto Raptors team with Kawhi could make some real noise; Evan Mobley has flirted with greatness, and the Cleveland Cavaliers did make the Eastern Conference Finals, but will need him to put in a stronger performance to go all the way.

It’s not that these players are bad, per se; it’s likely more about how fans view their markets, and their play compared to where they were drafted. 

For example, whether or not you believe in Michael Porter Jr. is one thing, but the Brooklyn Nets have a relatively small fan base—even if they’re in New York City. The same could be said for JJJ, both for his time in Memphis and now in Utah.

How to Get Graded Basketball Cards on Courtyard

From LeBron James on down to Darius Garland, our preseason NBA list is a little different from the usual rankings.

Instead of looking at the best players on the court, Courtyard examines what you, the collectors, like—and what you don’t. When buying basketball cards on Courtyard, you have three choices: keep, flip, or ship. Let us know which players on this list will rise (and fall) throughout the 2026-27 NBA season by replying to our post on Instagram.