25 Most Valuable 1990 NBA Hoops Basketball Cards
Looking back on the 1990 NBA Hoops cards set, I’d have to say it was easily one of my favorite basketball card sets of the era and maybe even all-time.
I thoroughly enjoyed the 1989 Hoops set that preceded it and those that came after.
But, I simply couldn’t get enough of these cards…
I even received several of the 1990 Hoops “Collect-A-Books” for Christmas one year, and I vividly remember reading through those miniature biographies of many of my favorite players over and over.
There were so many great stars of the day in this set, multiple cards with Michael Jordan on them, and even some fun subsets like the NBA Inside Stuff, Stay In School, and Just Say “No” To Drugs cards.
A kid had so much to love within this 440-card checkliSt. And in this guide, we look at the 25 most valuable.
Let’s jump right in!
1990 NBA Hoops Basketball Set Snapshot
SET DETAILS
440
GRADING ANALYSIS
94,364
TOTAL GRADED BY PSA
9,353
PSA 10 Population
9.9%
PSA 10 Grade Rate
MOST GRADED CARDS
1
#65 Michael Jordan
26.3%
24,778
2
#205 Mark Jackson
15.0%
14,140
3
#5 Michael JordanAll-Star
12.1%
11,456
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Ross Uitts – Owner
- #1
1990 NBA Hoops #65 Michael Jordan
PSA 10 Value $1,100Total PSA Population 24,778PSA 10 Population 880PSA 10 Grade Rate 3.6% (Set Avg: 9.9%)The way things are going with all of Jordan’s cards, this one may soon overtake the top spot on this liSt. Two or three years ago, you could buy this card in a PSA 10 holder for $20-$30.
But, now, thanks to ‘The Last Dance’ documentary on ESPN, prices of Michael Jordan cards and those of many other players of that era have exploded to new heights.
I always enjoyed this card because of the image of Jordan throwing one down with authority as a helpless Miami Heat defender, who I think is Glen Rice but am not quite sure, looks onward.
Jordan’s performance during the 1990-1991 season was incredible as he took home MVP honors, led the league in scoring, made the All-NBA and All-Defensive teams and led the East to victory over the West in the All-Star game.
He also won his first NBA championship after he and the Bulls defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 4-1.
- #2
1990 NBA Hoops #205 Mark Jackson
PSA 10 Value $550Total PSA Population 14,140PSA 10 Population 304PSA 10 Grade Rate 2.1% (Set Avg: 9.9%)Mark Jackson was one of the best point guards ever to play the game but you may be surprised to find him at the top of this liSt. The reason this card has garnered so much attention and such a hefty price tag has nothing to do with Jackson himself and everything to do with who is seated courtside to his left: the infamous Menendez brothers.
Sometime between August 20, 1989, when they murdered their parents in Beverly Hills, CA and their arrest on March 8, 1990, Lyle and Erik Menendez attended this game at Madison Square Garden in which this image of Jackson was snapped.
Pricing on this card has cooled a bit since this story first came to light but others in PSA 10 condition have previously sold for hundreds of dollars.
And it’s not the only card in this set whose value is driven by someone else appearing on it other than the featured player…we’ll get to that shortly.
- #3
1990 NBA Hoops #5 Michael Jordan All-Star
PSA 10 Value $350Total PSA Population 11,456PSA 10 Population 851PSA 10 Grade Rate 7.4% (Set Avg: 9.9%)While the base cards in this set featured grey borders, the All-Star cards turned things up a notch with their gold borders.
The city of Miami hosted the 1990 All-Star game that was packed with superstars and featured 19 future Hall of Famers across both conferences.
In fact, the entire 12-man roster for the East was comprised of future Hall of Famers with Jordan headlining them all.
Jordan and Charles Barkley each had 17 points as they lead the East to a 130-113 victory over the West, but it was Magic Johnson that took home MVP honors after scoring 22 points and putting on quite a show.
They say Jordan’s fadeaway jumper was unstoppable and based on this image you can see exactly why.
- #4
1990 NBA Hoops #223 Sam Vincent Michael Jordan Showing
PSA 10 Value $175Total PSA Population 7,109PSA 10 Population 654PSA 10 Grade Rate 9.2% (Set Avg: 9.9%)As I mentioned earlier, Mark Jackson’s card isn’t the only one in this set whose value is driven by someone else appearing on it.
If you look closely at Sam Vincent’s card, you’ll see Michael Jordan down below, watching as Vincent soars above ready to lay one in the hoop.
Jordan’s appearance on the card isn’t such a big deal in and of itself; it’s the fact that he’s wearing a jersey with the number 12 on it, the only time he did so.
Before the Bulls and Magic played the game on February 14, 1990, during which this image was taken, someone allegedly stole Jordan’s regular jersey with the number 23 on it, so he had to wear this replacement jersey instead.
It didn’t contain his last name on the back of it either, obviously, but lucky for Jordan and the Bulls, the jersey was at least a good fit.
Despite Jordan putting up 49 points, the Magic ended up winning in overtime.
Interestingly, there are two variations of Sam Vincent’s card in this set: the one distributed in first series packs with Jordan on it and another one the company changed up for second series packs that isolated Vincent dribbling up the court.
- #5
1990 NBA Hoops #358 Chicago Bulls Team Checklist
PSA 10 Value $125Total PSA Population 4,507PSA 10 Population 581PSA 10 Grade Rate 12.9% (Set Avg: 9.9%)Cards #355-381 in the set served as team checklists and featured artwork of each team’s biggest star of the day as illustrated by various artists.
Ken Goldammer had the honor of creating the Bulls team checklist and did not disappoint with this beautiful image of MJ going up for a reverse jam.
The image of Jordan atop a swirling dark-blue background gives the card a tremendous amount of eye appeal.
And it even looks like those are the Air Jordan III’s that he’s wearing but I’m not quite sure.
The artwork on these checklist was a fantastic idea to help make an otherwise typically boring kind of card a lot more interesting.
- #6
1990 NBA Hoops #382 Michael Jordan Playground
PSA 10 Value $125Total PSA Population 2,110PSA 10 Population 422PSA 10 Grade Rate 20.0% (Set Avg: 9.9%)
- #7
1990 NBA Hoops All-Rookie Team
PSA 10 Value $100Total PSA PopulationPSA 10 PopulationPSA 10 Grade Rate 0.0% (Set Avg: 9.9%)Technically, this card isn’t part of the set checklist since it was part of a mail-in offer listed on packs of regular 1990 Hoops cards.
The card pays tribute to the 1989-1990 All-Rookie Team that consisted of David Robinson, Vlade Divac, Pooh Richardson, Tim Hardaway and Sherman Douglas.
Robinson is shown on the front of the card hoisting his “Minute Maid Orange Soda NBA Rookie of the Year” trophy overhead while the other four players appear on the reverse side.
- #8
1990 NBA Hoops #248 Drazen Petrovic Rookie Card
Rookie CardPSA 10 Value $80Total PSA Population 1,172PSA 10 Population 191PSA 10 Grade Rate 16.3% (Set Avg: 9.9%)Could the Portland Trail Blazers have unlocked a championship team if they had handled Drazen Petrovic better?
It’s a fascinating “what if” scenario.
Petrovic was way ahead of the basketball curve, a high-volume sharpshooter with crazy athleticism and seemingly limitless range.
The Blazers could have created a death lineup with Petrovic, Terry Porter, and Clyde Drexler.
Instead, coach Rick Adelman kept Petrovic in a very limited bench role, often as a straight one-to-one sub for Drexler.
“Play him with me, not behind me,” Drexler once told Adelman.
Adelman didn’t listen, and Petrovic stewed.
Eventually, the former third-round pick requested a trade, one that was granted with the Blazers at 31-7, looking like a legit title contender.
Petrovic picked up steam with the New Jersey Nets for the rest of 1991, beginning his ascent to All-NBA status.
The 26-year-old shooting guard averaged 20.5 minutes in 43 games for Jersey, shooting 50% on 9.8 attempts per game to go along with a 37.3% clip from three.
- #9
1990 NBA Hoops #39 Larry Bird
PSA 10 Value $50Total PSA Population 2,012PSA 10 Population 319PSA 10 Grade Rate 15.9% (Set Avg: 9.9%) - #10
1990 NBA Hoops #270 David Robinson
PSA 10 Value $50Total PSA Population 2,407PSA 10 Population 255PSA 10 Grade Rate 10.6% (Set Avg: 9.9%)Despite the “Rookie of the Year” tag on this card, this is not David Robinson’s rookie card since he had made his rookie card debut in the 1989 Hoops set the year before.
This card is simply a tribute to Robinson being named “Rookie of the Year” for his dominating 1989-1990 season in which he averaged 24.3 points and 12 rebounds per game.
While the Hall of Fame center’s career was put on hold temporarily due to his Naval service commitment upon graduation from Annapolis, he went on to become one of the best centers in NBA history.
On this card, you can see what a chore it was to defend Robinson down low as he posts up on the Cavaliers’ Larry Nance while Mark Price looks on in the background.
- #11
1990 NBA Hoops #279 Shawn Kemp Rookie Card
Rookie CardPSA 10 Value $50Total PSA Population 3,404PSA 10 Population 434PSA 10 Grade Rate 12.7% (Set Avg: 9.9%)Shawn Kemp exploded onto the basketball scene in the early 90s with his incredible rebounding skills and his explosive highlight-reel dunks.
His vertical leaping ability was off the charts and I even remember hearing stories as a kid about how he could snatch a quarter off the top of the backboard.
Kemp spent time with multiple teams throughout his NBA career but his most memorable were undoubtedly those he spent as a member of the Sonics.
He nearly won a title during the 1995-1996 season when he and teammate Gary Payton led Seattle to the NBA championship, eventually falling 4-2 to that infamous Chicago Bulls team that went 72-10 in the regular season.
Even though the image on this card isn’t the most exciting, I still love the look and feel to it thanks to that old Sonics jersey and logo as Kemp looks like he’s about to put a move on someone down in the poSt.
- #12
1990 NBA Hoops #391 Gary Payton Rookie Card
Rookie CardPSA 10 Value $50Total PSA Population 2,791PSA 10 Population 588PSA 10 Grade Rate 21.1% (Set Avg: 9.9%)Drafted second overall in the 1990 NBA draft, expectations were sky high for Gary Payton, the electrifying youngster out of Oregon State.
And, although he sputtered early on, Payton lived up to the hype and went on to develop into one of the greatest point guards in NBA history.
Nicknamed “The Glove,” Payton became a shutdown defender and was selected to the NBA All-Defensive First Team nine times and remains the only point guard ever to be named the NBA Defensive Player of the Year.
His offensive skills were just as impressive as he routinely posted double-doubles in points and assists.
To put it simply, Payton was one of the most complete guards in the history of the game and his 1990 Hoops rookie card is must-have for basketball card collectors.
- #13
1990 NBA Hoops #385 Super Streaks
PSA 10 Value $45Total PSA Population 1,541PSA 10 Population 246PSA 10 Grade Rate 16.0% (Set Avg: 9.9%)As a kid, I used to love watching NBA Inside Stuff on television as Ahmad Rashad reviewed highlights from previous games and interviewed players on a wide range of topics.
So, I was excited when I first saw these NBA Inside Stuff cards in the 1990 Hoops set; there were a couple with Michael Jordan on them (including this one), and I think Karl Malone was riding a horse on one of them.
Anyway, this one that was dubbed “Super Streaks” paid tribute to a couple of streaks that Jordan and Magic Johnson were chasing heading into the 1990-1991 season.
Johnson was looking for his third straight MVP while Jordan was looking for his fifth straight scoring title.
The good news for Jordan was that he kept his streak alive, but unfortunately for Magic, his streak was broken up by…Jordan.
- #14
1990 NBA Hoops #154 Vlade Divac Rookie Card
Rookie CardPSA 10 Value $45Total PSA Population 473PSA 10 Population 47PSA 10 Grade Rate 9.9% (Set Avg: 9.9%) - #15
1990 NBA Hoops #157 Magic Johnson
PSA 10 Value $40Total PSA Population 2,047PSA 10 Population 177PSA 10 Grade Rate 8.6% (Set Avg: 9.9%)The Los Angeles Lakers basically handed the keys to the NBA dynasty penthouse to the Chicago Bulls in the 1991 NBA Finals.
Magic Johnson and the “Showtime” Lakers were the giants of the 1980s, winning eight Western Conference titles and five world championships.
By ’91, the Lakers were still a dominant force.
After winning NBA MVP in three of the previous four seasons, Magic Johnson placed runner-up in 1990-91, averaging 19.4 points, 12.5 assists, and 7.0 rebounds in 79 regular-season contests.
The 31-year-old guard would have been the MVP in any other year.
But he ran into the Michael Jordan buzzsaw that many would run into for years to come.
And that buzzsaw cut Johnson twice.
After running the Western Conference field yet again, Johnson and the Lakers stared face-to-face with MJ during the 1991 NBA Finals.
The prime focus was on Magic vs.
Jordan, and it was Jordan who won by knockout, taking Finals MVP in a convincing five-game triumph.
- #16
1990 NBA Hoops #127 Hakeem Olajuwon
PSA 10 Value $40Total PSA Population 317PSA 10 Population 40PSA 10 Grade Rate 12.6% (Set Avg: 9.9%)Before the Houston Rockets won back-to-back titles in the middle of the 1990s, they were little more than Western Conference cannon fodder.
In 1990-91, the Rockets hadn’t yet built the supporting staff Hakeem Olajuwon needed for deep playoff runs.
Instead, they relied on their All-NBA center to do as much as he possibly could in every facet of the game.
For Olajuwon, that was much more than moSt. Despite an eye fracture that cost him 25 games, the 28-year-old remained a one-man army, averaging 21.2 points and 13.8 rebounds in 36.8 minutes per game.
Olajuwon paced the NBA in defensive rebounding (9.8 rpg) and blocks (3.9 bpg), singlehandedly shutting down opposing attacks in the paint.
Once the playoffs came, though, the 52-win Rockets were exposed for their lack of depth.
Los Angeles took them out of the first round in three straight, despite Olajuwon’s double-double average of 22.0 points and 14.7 rebounds per conteSt.
- #17
1990 NBA Hoops #2 Larry Bird All-Star
PSA 10 Value $35Total PSA Population 821PSA 10 Population 115PSA 10 Grade Rate 14.0% (Set Avg: 9.9%)Larry Bird did everything in his power to push the Celtics in 1990-91.
A nagging back injury, sadly, limited that impact.
As the Bulls beat the Lakers in the 1991 NBA Finals in a “changing of the guard,” the Celtics also quietly moved into a new generation.
The team that ran neck-and-neck with Los Angeles for most of the 1980s was at a crossroads, largely due to Bird’s health.
After eleven first-ballot Hall-of-Fame years, Bird’s back was in terrible shape.
The 34-year-old small forward suffered from a ruptured disc and nerve compression, which limited him to 60 regular-season games.
Bird was still a top-ten MVP talent when he played, averaging 19.4 points, 8.5 rebounds, 7.2 assists, and 1.8 steals in 38 minutes per game.
He was still an All-Star Swiss Army knife.
However, Bird’s body wasn’t ready to dive deep into the postseason.
Matched up against the physical Detroit Pistons, the Celtics wilted late in a six-game Conference Semifinals loss.
- #18
1990 NBA Hoops #18 Magic Johnson All-Star
PSA 10 Value $35Total PSA Population 712PSA 10 Population 78PSA 10 Grade Rate 11.0% (Set Avg: 9.9%) - #19
1990 NBA Hoops #69 Scottie Pippen
PSA 10 Value $35Total PSA Population 771PSA 10 Population 44PSA 10 Grade Rate 5.7% (Set Avg: 9.9%)Once Scottie Pippen made “the leap,” it was over for the rest of the NBA.
After breaking out as an All-Star in 1989-90, Pippen took it up a few more notches in 1990-91, especially on defense.
Named to his first of ten consecutive All-Defensive teams, the young Chicago Bulls forward posted averages of 2.4 steals and 1.1 blocks per game.
Most importantly, Pippen was a tireless on-ball defender who dogged opposing #1 options all game long.
With Pippen reaching new heights on D, the load on Michael Jordan was lightened.
In doing that, Pippen gave Jordan the keys to multiple MVPs and locked down six NBA titles for the game’s most famous dynasty.
The first of those titles came after the 1990-91 campaign, a year in which Pippen earned Second-Team All-Defense.
The 25-year-old averaged 17.8 points and 7.3 rebounds in the regular season before upping those averages to 21.6 points and 8.9 rebounds in a 17-game playoff run.
- #20
1990 NBA Hoops #109 Dennis Rodman
PSA 10 Value $30Total PSA Population 463PSA 10 Population 53PSA 10 Grade Rate 11.4% (Set Avg: 9.9%)Dennis Rodman’s back-to-back Defensive Player of the Year awards come with a unique caveat.
Usually, DPotY goes to an ace defender who excels at the three main defensive counting stats: rebounds, blocks, and steals.
However, Rodman won consecutive awards despite averaging fewer than a steal and a block in each season.
In 1990-91, the second of his award seasons, the 29-year-old Detroit Pistons forward didn’t even lead the NBA in rebounds (as he would the next seven seasons).
This all highlights how unique Rodman’s gifts were.
Even without stuffing the stat sheet in 1990-91, it was clear how his presence kept the Detroit Pistons afloat.
He shut down every opponent’s best option for two championships in the previous two seasons, and he was maybe the biggest reason why a banged-up Detroit team was able to reach the ’91 Conference Finals.
Rodman ended the year with averages of 8.2 points, 12.5 rebounds, 0.8 steals, and 0.7 blocks in 33.5 minutes per game.
- #21
1990 NBA Hoops #113 Tim Hardaway Rookie Card
Rookie CardPSA 10 Value $30Total PSA Population 1,303PSA 10 Population 135PSA 10 Grade Rate 10.4% (Set Avg: 9.9%)For a short time, the “Run TMC” Golden State Warriors looked like the future of the Western Conference.
The trio of Tim Hardaway, Mitch Richmond, and Chris Mullin made for a great League Pass watch before the advent of the service.
It was at its most fun during the 1990-91 season, when the Warriors won and lost a litany of high-scoring, track-meet shootouts.
Golden State won 44 games and earned a #7 seed, thanks in large part to Tim Hardaway’s sophomore evolution.
After shooting just 27.4% from three on 1.1 attempts per game in 1989-90, the 24-year-old point guard leveled up to 38.5% (on 3.1 attempts) — good for tenth in the league.
Hardaway also finished fifth in the NBA in assists per game (9.7), fourth in steals (2.6), and eleventh in scoring (22.9).
The Warriors weren’t deep enough to make a deep run, but Hardaway was electric enough to steal a series, averaging a near double-double (23.3 ppg, 9.3 apg) in a four-game upset of second-seeded San Antonio.
- #22
1990 NBA Hoops #168 Glen Rice Rookie Card
Rookie CardPSA 10 Value $30Total PSA Population 213PSA 10 Population 44PSA 10 Grade Rate 20.7% (Set Avg: 9.9%)Glen Rice went into the 1990-91 season under a microscope.
When the Miami Heat grabbed the Michigan small forward with the fourth pick of the 1989 NBA Draft, the pick was polarizing.
It was clear that Rice was an advanced scorer, but his small hands became a sticking point for many scouts and analysts.
The results were mixed in year one, adding to the pressure on Rice when ’90-’91 came along.
Instead of simply looking to prove the doubters wrong about his handles in traffic, Rice reinvented himself to become one of the best 3-point shooters of his generation.
He focused less on his playmaking and more on finding his rhythm beyond the arc.
“I always said that small hands are the mark of great shooters,” Rice said later.
After shooting a weak 24.6% on 0.9 long-distance tries per game during his rookie year, Rice skyrocketed to 38.6% (on 2.4 attempts), good for ninth-best in the NBA.
- #23
1990 NBA Hoops #225 Charles Barkley
PSA 10 Value $30Total PSA Population 491PSA 10 Population 72PSA 10 Grade Rate 14.7% (Set Avg: 9.9%)At his peak, there was no more efficient scorer in the NBA than Charles Barkley.
“The Round Mound of Rebound” gets his proper due for his board work.
That’s what fifteen straight years of ten rebounds or more will get you.
Yet, what made him a Hall-of-Fame player was his deadliness up close.
From 1986-87 through 1990-91, Barkley led the NBA in field-goal percentage from two.
The Philadelphia Sixers forward topped the league for five consecutive seasons, including a 61.4% clip in ’90-’91.
The 44-win Sixers’ offense revolved around Barkley’s work in the paint.
Once “Sir Charles” eventually drew a double in the block, it opened up the floor for deadeye shooters like Hersey Hawkins and reserve Andre Turner.
Barkley ended the 1990-91 campaign averaging a 27.6/10.1 double-double in 67 games.
He earned a top-four MVP placement for the third time in four years, also notching an All-Star nod and a First Team All-NBA designation.
- #24
1990 NBA Hoops #203 Patrick Ewing
PSA 10 Value $25Total PSA Population 158PSA 10 Population 33PSA 10 Grade Rate 20.9% (Set Avg: 9.9%)The New York Knicks got a second chance at the Jordan-led Chicago Bulls during the 1991 NBA Playoffs.
It went badly, worse than it had the first time.
In 1989, the Knicks took an upstart Bulls team to six games in the Conference Semifinals before bowing out.
Two years later, New York was a massive underdog.
The 1990-91 Chicago Bulls were a juggernaut, winning 61 regular-season games and dropping only two playoff contests on their way to a trophy.
The 1990-91 Knicks were not in their league.
Head coach Stu Jackson was axed early in the season after a 7-8 start, and New York remained an under-.500 club under interim leader John MacLeod.
Even an All-NBA Second Team year from star center Patrick Ewing couldn’t shake the black clouds around Madison Square Garden.
Those clouds dumped a depressing storm against the Bulls.
Chicago dominated Ewing and the Knicks, 126-85, in Game 1 of the Conference Quarterfinals, crushing New York’s spirit en route to a three-game sweep.
- #25
1990 NBA Hoops #292 Karl Malone
PSA 10 Value $25Total PSA Population 184PSA 10 Population 35PSA 10 Grade Rate 19.0% (Set Avg: 9.9%)
Ross’s Take
As you can see, some of the cards in this set can be worth quite a bit in top condition while some of them are barely worth enough to cover the cost of grading.
Like many sports cards of this era, they were heavily produced in such large quantities that the market is still flooded with them.
But, monetary value doesn’t have to be the main driver int his hobby and nostalgic factor can still be a huge draw with this set.
Overall, the checklist contained 440 cards in total that highlighted some of the best players of the era and of all-time.
In summary, if you’re looking for a basketball card set with a lot of star power that you can acquire cheaply then this is one for you.
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Ross Uitts – Owner
