15 Most Valuable 1992 Topps Basketball Cards

Michael Jordan was incredible during the 1992-93 season, leading the league in scoring for the seventh year in a row with a remarkable 32.6 points per game.

And although he would lose out on his third consecutive MVP award to Charles Barkley, Jordan led the Bulls over Barkley and the Suns in the NBA Finals that year to seal his first of two career NBA Championship “three-peats.” I love the visuals on this card as Jordan busts through the lane, as he did so often, while opposing defenders Cliff Robinson, Terry Porter, and Danny Ainge can only watch.

Ainge wasn’t with the Blazers during the 1992-93 season, so this photo was likely taken during the 1991-92 season.

It may even be a snapshot from one of the Bulls’ home games at the United Center during the NBA Finals that season, in which Chicago defeated Portland 4-2.

Cards #199 – 215 are part of a subset dedicated to highlighting several players who had scored 50 or more points in an NBA game during their careers.

Some guys in the subset, like Michael Adams, Reggie Miller, and Clyde Drexler, did so once while other guys like Bernard King, Dominque Wilkins, and Karl Malone did so multiple times.

And, then there was Michael Jordan, who had already scored 50 or more points twenty-two times at that point, putting him at a distant second place behind Wilt Chamberlain and his stunning 118 different 50-point games.

Jordan finished his career having scored 50 or more points in 31 different games, solidifying his legacy as a scoring machine.

He also had five career games where he scored 60 or more points with four of them shown on the reverse of the card.

The fifth came later during the 1992-93 season during a game against the Orlando Magic in which he roasted them for 64 points even though the Bulls fell short 124-128 in the loss.

The 1992 NBA All-Star game, played in Orlando, wasn’t much fun for Michael Jordan and crew as the West roasted the East 153-113.

The East out-rebounded the West 48 to 43 and had nearly the same amount of steals, blocks, and turnovers.

So, why was it a blowout?

Shooting made all the difference that day as the East shot an abysmal 44% from the field while the West was on fire, shooting 65% as a team.

Starters Magic Johnson, David Robinson, and Chris Mullin each shot better than 75%, and there was nothing the East could do to stop them.

Still, I love the action and excitement on this card, as Jordan goes up for an easy slam while David Robinson looks up helplessly in the lower-right corner.

During Game 1 of the 1992 NBA Finals against the Portland Trail Blazers, Michael Jordan led the Chicago Bulls to a convincing 122-89 victory, scoring 39 points in the process.

Remarkably, most of Jordan’s scoring spree occurred in the first half when he scored 35 points and nailed six 3-pointers.

After one of those threes, Jordan famously turned and shrugged as he went back to play defense as if even he were shocked at how well he was performing.

Cards #2 – 4 in this set are a tiny subset that commemorate three memorable “Highlights” from the 1991-92 season: 1) Magic Johnson’s dominant MVP performance in the All-Star Game 2) Jordan’s remarkable first half in Game 1 of the Finals 3) David Robinson finishing among the top-ten leaders in five different statistical categories