17 Most Valuable 1994 Upper Deck Basketball Cards

1994 Upper Deck #359 Michael Jordan Then and Now

Estimated PSA 10 Value: $150

After spending the previous season pursuing a career in Major League Baseball, Michael Jordan returned to the Bulls near the end of the 1994-1995 season.

He declared his return to basketball with a simple but memorable phrase: "I'm back."

Despite playing in only 17 games during the campaign, the superstar was crucial in getting Chicago back to the postseason, averaging 26.9 points per game, 5.3 assists per game, and 6.9 rebounds per game.

While the scoring was low for Jordan's standards, scoring over 26 points per contest after missing almost two full seasons was impressive.

Over that 17 game span, Jordan's standout highlight was a 55 point effort against the New York Knicks, some of his biggest rivals.

During that performance, he once again established his dominance in the NBA.

The Bulls would ultimately end up losing in the Eastern Conference Semifinals to Shaquille O'Neal and the Orlando Magic.

Even though the Bulls failed to reach the Finals, Jordan was officially back in his element and the rest of the league was put on notice.

Upper Deck couldn't have anticipated that Jordan would once again lace up his shoes for the Bulls during the 1994-95 NBA season when they released the set.

And so, they created this Michael Jordan "Then and Now" card that depicts the legendary icon during his basketball days on the front while mentioning his efforts to play baseball on the back.

1994 Upper Deck #157 Grant Hill Rookie Card

Estimated PSA 10 Value: $75

After finishing seventh in the Central Division with a 20-62 record during the 1993-94 season, the Detroit Pistons selected former Duke star Grant Hill to help right the ship.

Hill was excellent during his rookie season, making the All-Star team at the mid-way point and collecting co-NBA Rookie of the Year honors with Jason Kidd at the season's end.

His per-game averages of 19.9 points, 5 assists and 6.4 rebounds showed how complete the young Hill was and gave Pistons fans a sign of things to come.

With all-time great Isiah Thomas recently retiring, it was Hill's time to usher in a new era of Detroit basketball.

However, the incredibly young core of the Pistons found it difficult to put wins on the table and again finished seventh in the Central Division with a 28-54 record.

The eight additional wins were an improvement over the year before but likely were well below the Pistons' expectations.

Still, Hill gave Detroit fans hope for a brighter future for their franchise.

1994 Upper Deck #160 Jason Kidd Rookie Card

Estimated PSA 10 Value: $75

During his time in college leading the California Golden Bears, Kidd showed incredible basketball smarts and an ability to shoot, pass and rebound from the point guard position.

In the 1994 NBA Draft, Jason Kidd was selected second overall by the Dallas Mavericks, and the team hoped to build a winner around him.

Kidd wasted no time getting into the flow of things in the NBA, as the young guard averaged 11.7 points per game, 7.7 assists per game, 5.4 rebounds per game, and 1.9 steals per game.

He would also lead the league in triple-doubles, making his overall impact felt in all facets of the game and continuing his reputation as a point guard who could do it all.

One memorable performance from his rookie campaign came in a matchup against the Rockets in Houston.

Kidd led Dallas to a victory with an incredible triple-double effort, scoring 38 points with 11 rebounds and 10 assists.

Despite the Mavericks finishing under .500 on the season, Kidd would be named co-Rookie of the Year with Grant Hill.

1994 Upper Deck #1 Chris Webber

Estimated PSA 10 Value: $50

The first ten cards of the set commemorate the five members of the All-Rookie First Team and the five members of the All-Rookie Second Team from the 1993-94 season.

Card #1 was slotted for the best of them all: Chris Webber.

Coming off of a sensational 1993-94 rookie season that saw him take home the Rookie of the Year honors, Webber entered his sophomore season looking to display further improvement.

And sure enough, Webber increased his overall production in 1994-1995 by averaging 20.1 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 4.7 assists per game.

This season was also his first with the Washington Bullets, where he was reunited with his college teammate, Juwan Howard after Golden State traded him for Tom Gugliotta and three first-round draft picks.

Despite Webber's strong play, the Bullets had a miserable 21-61 record for the year and missed the Playoffs yet again.

Webber appeared in one All-Star Game while with Washington but would later find most of his success with the Sacramento Kings, where he was a four-time All-Star and five-time All-NBA member.

1994 Upper Deck #2 Anfernee Hardaway

Estimated PSA 10 Value: $40

During his second season in the NBA, Anfernee Hardaway certainly didn’t fall victim to the “sophomore slump” that many NBA players experience.

Hardaway’s 21.7 points and 7.2 assists were enough to find him a spot at the All-Star game.

Even more impressive, Hardaway was selected First Team All-NBA.

Hardaway not only found individual success in his second season but also team success as the Magic finished 1st in the East after missing the playoffs entirely just two years prior.

After defeating the Celtics in the First Round, the Magic and Hardaway’s true test would come against the Chicago Bulls in the Semifinals with the recently returned Michael Jordan.

Oddsmakers bet against the Magic, but Shaq and Hardaway’s squad wouldn’t be denied as they took a 3-2 series lead in a close Game 5.

The deciding Game 6 looked like it would end in a Bulls victory, but a 14-0 Magic run sealed the deal on the series.

After edging the Indiana Pacers in seven games in the Eastern Conference Finals, the Magic faced the Houston Rockets in the Finals. Hardaway averaged 25.5 points in the series, but the Rockets were too much to handle, sweeping the Magic for the title.

1994 Upper Deck #100 Shaq

Estimated PSA 10 Value: $40

Shaquille O'Neal's third year in the league showed the same level of domination as his first two, but now with a stronger supporting cast, including the aforementioned Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway.

O'Neal won the scoring title, averaging 29.3 points along with 2.4 blocks, 2.7 assists, and 11.4 rebounds.

An All-Star and Second Team All-NBA selection capped off O'Neal's regular season, but this time he was ready for postseason success as well.

The Magic's record of 57-25 put them at 1st place in the Eastern Conference.

After cruising past the Boston Celtics in the First Round, O'Neal and the Magic finished off the Chicago Bulls and a recently-returned Michael Jordan in six games.

The road to the Finals got even more difficult in the Eastern Conference Finals against Reggie Miller's Pacers that turned out to be one of the closest series in NBA playoff history.

Not only did the series go the full seven games, but the margin of victory was 5 points or less in each of the first five games.

Game 7, however, ended in a blowout win for Shaq's Magic.

Shaq showed up for the Finals against Hakeem Olajuwon's Rockets, averaging 28 points on 60% shooting, but the gap in the overall skill between the teams was too significant to overcome.

The Rockets swept the Magic, denying Shaq his first chance at a title.

1994 Upper Deck #159 Jalen Rose Rookie Card

Estimated PSA 10 Value: $40

As part of the Michigan Wolverines' infamous "Fab Five" in college, Jalen Rose looked to try his talents at the NBA level when the Denver Nuggets selected him with the 13th pick of the 1994 NBA Draft.

While he was not a top-tier prospect, many people around the league had high expectations for his career.

Rose played 81 games during his rookie season and averaged 8.2 points per game and 4.8 assists per game.

One of his best performances came in a mid-season victory over the Detroit Pistons when he nearly missed a triple-double by posting 20 points, 10 assists, and 8 rebounds.

Rose consistently showed that kind of flexible ability and displayed consistent progression in all aspects of his game as the season rolled along.

Denver was able to sneak into the playoffs despite having just a 41-41 record on the season, but the San Antonio Spurs immediately swept them in the Western Conference First Round.

1994 Upper Deck #183 Grant Hill MJ Draft Analysis

Estimated PSA 10 Value: $35

Card numbers #181 through #198 in the set comprised a subset that was a little more interesting than others of the era.

He may have been retired from the NBA at the time, but that didn't mean Michael Jordan couldn't give his opinion on several of the 1994 NBA Draft Picks.

The "Michael Jordan Draft Analysis" subset included eighteen recently drafted players around whom Michael Jordan would give his opinion on three areas: strengths, team outlook and draft review.

Jordan's opinion on Grant Hill was very positive, as he pointed out his incredible athletic gifts, leadership and explosiveness.

Jordan saw in Hill a player around whom the Detroit Pistons could build a solid team for a bright future.

In hindsight, Jordan pointed out Detroit's history of player injuries somewhat ominously.

Call it a jinx if you want, but unfortunately, the injury bug held back Hill for many years in his career.

1994 Upper Deck #186 Jason Kidd MJ Draft Analysis

Estimated PSA 10 Value: $35

Jordan could not have given Jason Kidd any higher marks in his draft analysis of the future Hall of Famer than to say that he "could be the next Earvin Johnson."

Kidd may have fallen short of that incredible comparison, but there's no question that he was one of the greatest point guards of all time.

Jordan correctly pointed out how gifted a passer Kidd was and much of it had to do with his incredible court vision.

With Kidd, Jamal Mashburn and Jimmy Jackson heading the Mavericks roster, he also mentioned that Dallas was an improved team that would "be back in the Playoffs real soon."

Unfortunately, that prediction didn't materialize as Dallas finished with losing records and missed the playoffs in Kidd's two full seasons with them in 1994-95 and 1995-96.

And during the 1996-97 season, the Mavericks traded Kidd to the Phoenix Suns in a six-player deal that brought Michael Finley and Sam Cassell to Dallas.

Dallas eventually made the playoffs during the 2000-01 season.

1994 Upper Deck #96 David Robinson

Estimated PSA 10 Value: $30

On a personal level, the 1994-94 season could not have gone any better for David Robinson as the superstar big man collected the only MVP Award of his phenomenal career.

By averaging 27.6 points, 10.8 rebounds and 3.2 blocks per game, Robinson completely dominated the paint and led the Spurs to a league-best 62-20 record.

San Antonio looked ready to bring home the first NBA title in franchise history with a well-rounded team that included guys like Dennis Rodman, Sean Elliot, Avery Johnson, and several other key role players.

After sweeping the Nuggets in the First Round, the Spurs knocked out the Lakers 4-2 in the Semifinals to find themselves in a Western Conference Championship showdown against Hakeem Olajuwon and the Houston Rockets.

Houston was coming off an NBA Championship from the year before and was thirsty for a repeat.

After the series became tied at 2-2, the Rockets finally pulled away and sent the Spurs home in six games.

Robinson's championship day would come eventually, though, as he and the Spurs would get their rings for the 1998-99 and 2002-03 seasons.

1994 Upper Deck #121 Charles Barkley

Estimated PSA 10 Value: $30

Former MVP Charles Barkley once again led his Phoenix Suns in scoring during the 1994-95 season with 23 points while also adding 11.1 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game.

Barkley’s talent combined with the signing of recent All-Star Danny Manning had many Phoenix Suns fans expecting the team to surpass the previous year’s performance.

The Sun’s 59-win regular season lived up to the hype and put them in the playoffs as the 2nd seed in the West.

Unfortunately, an injury would remove Manning from the equation late in the season, and Barkley’s Suns would be heading into the playoffs with greatly diminished scoring options.

Barkley completely dominated the First Round, averaging 33.7 points and 13.7 rebounds for the series against the Portal Trail Blazers.

The Semifinals pitted the Suns against a much more formidable opponent: Hakeem Olajuwon’s defending champion Rockets.

The Suns got off to a 3-1 lead, and the series seemed to be done and dusted after a 43-point performance from Kevin Johnson in Game 4. Unfortunately for Barkley, the Rockets would win the next two games to force a Game 7.

The final game came down to a nail-biting 115-114 Houston win, and Olajuwon eliminated Barkley in an incredibly close series for the second year in a row.

1994 Upper Deck #127 Scottie Pippen

Estimated PSA 10 Value: $30

With Michael Jordan still retired, Scottie Pippen was the leader of the Chicago Bulls for the majority of the 1994-1995 campaign.

Though some of his recent actions (such as refusing to enter a 1994 Playoffs game against the New York Knicks because he disagreed with Phil Jackson's plan) had many questioning his character, Pippen silenced his critics with quality numbers.

In addition to leading the league in steals with 2.9 per game, Pippen averaged 21.4 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 5.2 assists per game.

While most Chicago was overfilled with joy when Jordan announced his NBA return late in the season, Pippen may not have been as happy.

He was coming off the two best seasons of his career due to the absence of Jordan.

On the other hand, adding Jordan back into the mix gave Chicago a far greater chance of winning a championship which Pippen did not mind.

But the fact remains that with Jordan out of the game for the majority of the season, 1994-1995 was one of the overall most impressive seasons Pippen posted throughout his entire NBA tenure from a statistical standpoint.

1994 Upper Deck #233 Hakeem Olajuwon

Estimated PSA 10 Value: $30

Coming off a 58-24 record and NBA Championship win during the 1993-94 season, Hakeem Olajuwon showed no signs of slowing down, as he led the Rockets to another outstanding campaign in franchise history.

Olajuwon was once again dominant from a statistical perspective, as the center averaged a career-high 27.8 points to go along with 10.8 rebounds and 3.4 blocks per game.

Night in and night out, Olajuwon showed incredible consistency in the paint as he tallied 45 double-doubles and one triple-double during the season.

He also became Houston's all-time leading scorer during the season, surpassing the previous record held by Calvin Murphy.

Early in February 1995, the Rockets added more firepower to their roster when they traded for legendary Portland superstar and Olajuwon's former college teammate, Clyde Drexler.

As talented as Houston was, many were surprised when they finished 47-35 for the sixth seed in the Western Conference Playoffs.

The Rockets were unshaken and fought their way to an NBA Finals showdown against the Orlando Magic and superstar big man Shaquille O'Neal.

Houston would sweep the Magic to repeat as NBA Champions.

Olajuwon led all players during the playoffs with a jaw-dropping 33 points per game and earned Finals MVP for the second year in a row.

1994 Upper Deck #279 Dennis Rodman

Estimated PSA 10 Value: $30

In his second season with the San Antonio Spurs, Dennis Rodman continued to do what he did best: rebound and play defense.

Though he played in only 49 games that season, Rodman averaged 16.8 rebounds per game and brought home his fourth-straight rebounding title.

With Rodman and David Robinson down low working the boards and providing lockdown defense in the paint, opposing teams faced incredible difficulty in beating the Spurs.

For that reason, San Antonio led all teams in the NBA that year with a 62-20 record.

Unfortunately, the Spurs ran into an incredibly tough Houston Rockets team in the Western Conference Championship that shut down San Antonio's NBA Title dreams in six games.

Still, with his fourth rebounding title and a sixth All-Defensive First Team nomination, Dennis Rodman continued to show how impactful he was.

That reputation landed him a job with the Chicago Bulls for the next three seasons, during which Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and he would collect three rings in a row.

1994 Upper Deck #281 Glenn Robinson Rookie Card

Estimated PSA 10 Value: $30

I remember seeing Glenn Robinson play for the first time during the 1991 Indiana High School State Championship when he led Gary Roosevelt over Alan Henderson and Brebeuf in a 51-32 blowout.

Everyone in Indiana was pumped for that game as Robinson and Henderson formed one of the most anticipated showdowns between individual players in years.

Many thought Brebeuf would win and Henderson would likely collect the 1991 Indiana Mr. Basketball Award but it couldn't have turned out any different.

Gary Roosevelt blew them out and Robinson won the 1991 Indiana Mr. Basketball Award.

Purdue fans across the state were delighted to see Robinson in a Boilermakers uniform years later where he had an incredible career and first got his "Big Dog" nickname.

Robinson unanimously won the John R. Wooden Award and Naismith Award during his junior 1993-94 season while also taking Purdue to the Elite Eight.

The Milwaukee Bucks later drafted Robinson with the number one pick in the 1994 NBA Draft, with whom he enjoyed eight successful seasons in which he averaged more than 20 points and 6 rebounds per game.

Robinson earned All-Rookie Team honors during his 1994-95 debut season, made two All-Star teams, and won the 2005 NBA title with the San Antonio Spurs before retiring because of knee issues.

1994 Upper Deck #166 Eddie Jones Rookie Card

Estimated PSA 10 Value: $25

After starring at Temple University, Eddie Jones looked to bring his incredible skills to the NBA when the Los Angeles Lakers drafted him with the tenth pick of the 1994 NBA Draft.

During his rookie season, Jones averaged 14 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals to earn 1994-95 All-Rookie First Team honors and to finish fourth in the NBA Rookie of the Year vote.

Jones developed a reputation as one of the top shooting guards in the league during the fourteen years that he spent playing across five teams, most notably the Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat.

He was an avid defender, too, earning All-Defensive Second Team honors for three seasons in a row from 1998-2000.

A three-time NBA All-Star, Jones was one of the top shooting guards of his era, but unfortunately, he never did get to win an NBA title. 

1994 Upper Deck #331 Juwan Howard Rookie Card

Estimated PSA 10 Value: $20

Like Jalen Rose, Juwan Howard was a key piece of the infamous "Fab Five" during his days as a Michigan Wolverine.

And with the fifth overall pick of the 1994 NBA Draft, the Washington Bullets chose Howard to give them a much-needed boost after finishing seventh in the Atlantic Division with a miserable 24-58 record during the 1993-94 season.

Though Howard certainly did his part to help during his 1994-94 rookie season by averaging 17 points and 8.4 rebounds, the Bullets were awful and finished seventh in the Atlantic Division again with a 21-61 record.

The team's offense finished 16th among 27 teams by scoring 100.5 points per game, but their defense was pathetic as they allowed 106.1 points per game to put them 25th among the 27 teams.

Howard earned All-Rookie Second Team honors for his performance.

He would eventually become the first player in NBA history to sign a $100 million contract and win two NBA Championships with the Miami Heat in 2012 and 2013 in a backup role.

1994 Upper Deck Basketball Cards In Review

As you can see, with a solid rookie class, decent subsets and plenty of stars and future Hall of Famers, there is plenty to love about this 360-card set.

Unlike other sets of the era, Michael Jordan was noticeably less impactful on the checklist due to his first retirement from the NBA.

But, Upper Deck still found ways to include him and even used his likeness on the cover of Series One boxes:

The design of the cards in the set offered collectors a fantastic experience with bright, full-color imagery that featured plenty of action.

There were several different subsets in the checklist, including:

• All-Rookie Team (#1 - 10)
• All-NBA Team (#11 - 25)
• All-Stars (throughout)
• Rookie Class (#156 - 166, throughout)
• USA Basketball Team (#167 - 180)
• Michael Jordan Draft Analysis (#181 - 198)
• Then and Now (#352 - 360)

Although the set may be overlooked in today's market, I still think there are a lot of great cards in this set and certainly great value for the money.