15 Most Valuable 1998 Upper Deck Basketball Cards

The “Michael Jordan” subset was simply that: a collection of 23 different cards that paid tribute to the legendary Chicago Bulls superstar.

Interestingly, they were all card #230, just with a different “a” through “w” designation to separate them.

Most of the cards featured isolated action shots of Jordan soaring through the air, dribbling, posting up, or shooting, giving collectors multiple chances to view their favorite superstar.

However, some cards give you a glimpse of some of Jordan’s biggest rivals in the background, too.

Players like Reggie Miller, Karl Malone, John Stockton and others can be seen desperately trying to stop the relentless scorer.

While all of the cards in the subset are desirable and worth decent money in top condition, the “230a” card, shown below, is considered to be the most popular.

The card features Jordan in his trademark red Bull jersey going up for an easy lay-up.

While the fronts of each card are different, the reverse sides are all the same, showing his career statistics alongside a headshot of him smiling.

I think it would’ve been great if Upper Deck could have made each of the reverse sides its own unique design, highlighting some of MJ’s most memorable achievements.

Even the checklist cards were reserved for Michael Jordan.

There are four in total, each featuring dual imagery of a smaller action shot of His Airness superimposed atop a full-length background shot.

Each of the cards is well-designed.

Usually, checklist cards in modern products aren’t considered to be very desirable.

But most checklist cards aren’t meant to commemorate one of the biggest icons in sports history.

While they’re obviously not as desirable as the rest of the MJ base cards in this set, they can certainly be far more valuable in top condition than base cards of other stars and Hall of Famers.

That’s how big MJ was.

First, there was the “Last Dance.” Then, there was the breakup.

The Chicago Bulls double three-peat dynasty ripped apart at the seams as soon as the 1999 offseason began.

Scottie Pippen was immovable in his demands for a big-money deal.

Several key Bulls contributors were free agents and seeking raises of their own.

And the relationship between GM Jerry Krause and head coach Phil Jackson was toxic and past salvaging.

Everything was upside down, and Michael Jordan wasn’t happy about it.

During the Bulls’ final title run, he made it abundantly clear that he wasn’t interested in hanging around for a retooled Bulls squad.

“I don’t want to start a war around here,” Jordan said at the end of his time in Chicago.

“The main reason we do so well is Phil Jackson.

I’ll say it again.

I won’t play for another coach.” It was all over once negotiations broke down between Jackson and the Bulls during the lockout.

“Physically, I feel great,” Jordan said during his retirement announcement.

“But I have to make a judgment in terms of the desire, and I can’t honestly say that’s going to be there every time I step into this building.” He left the door ajar, though, telling reporters that he’d “never say never” to a future comeback.