12 Most Valuable 1993 SkyBox Premium Basketball Cards
By the time the 1993 SkyBox Premium basketball card set hit store shelves, collectors had already come to expect a product with a fantastic design.
Since entering the market in 1990, SkyBox had a reputation for pushing the envelope in card design.
Utilizing supplementary computer graphics and full-color action photography, SkyBox especially stood out with their 1990 and 1991 flagship sets.
By comparison, the 1993 SkyBox set design seems reserved.
Full-bleed color photography offset by a large, white banner containing player and team info made for some great-looking cards.
Despite steering in a more conservative direction aesthetically, 1993 SkyBox delivered a solid visual experience.
Perhaps more importantly than the look and feel, collectors were excited for all of the superstars and high-powered rookies within the checkliSt. And in this guide, we look at the 15 most valuable.
Let’s get started!
1993 SkyBox Premium Basketball Set Snapshot
SET DETAILS
341
GRADING ANALYSIS
0
TOTAL GRADED BY PSA
0
PSA 10 Population
0.0%
PSA 10 Grade Rate
MOST GRADED CARDS
1
2
3
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Ross Uitts – Owner
- #1
1993 SkyBox Premium #45 Michael Jordan
PSA 10 Value $125Total PSA PopulationPSA 10 PopulationPSA 10 Grade Rate 0.0% (Set Avg: 0.0%)Watching the Chicago Bulls play without Michael Jordan on the court during the 1993-94 NBA season was always weird.
And I never got used to hearing Bulls PA announcer Ray Clay yell “Pete Myers” instead of “Michael Jordan” as the Bulls’ shooting guard during his legendary pre-game intros.
But that feeling stuck throughout the entire season.
After winning a third straight championship during the summer of ’93, Michael Jordan shocked the world and retired.
Whether it was because of the sorrow of tragically losing his father or the looming potential of being suspended because of his gambling exploits, Jordan’s personal life was unraveling.
So it was shocking but understandable to see him hang it up just a day before training camp.
Eventually, at the inspiration of his father, Jordan pursued a professional baseball career.
And who better to sign him than the Chicago White Sox?
Jordan practiced and played with the same intensity while on the basketball court.
Though he never made it beyond the Double-A Birmingham Barons during the 1994 season, we will never know if he could have gotten farther.
The 1994 MLB strike cut everyone’s season short.
And by 1995, Jordan would be back in a Bulls uniform.
- #2
1993 SkyBox Premium #14 Michael Jordan
PSA 10 Value $75Total PSA PopulationPSA 10 PopulationPSA 10 Grade Rate 0.0% (Set Avg: 0.0%)SkyBox used cards #4 – 21 in the set to commemorate the achievements and highlights of 18 players during the 1993 NBA Playoffs.
Michael Jordan probably could’ve appeared on 18 cards by himself.
As incredible as he was during the regular season, Jordan always took things to another level in the postseason.
That’s what made him a winner.
That’s what set him apart.
And many of his most memorable playoff moments occurred during those incredibly heated and competitive showdowns with the New York Knicks.
Those two teams could not stand each other.
And that animosity made for some of the best playoff basketball in the game’s history.
Jordan and John Starks were arguably two of the biggest rivals between those two teams.
Seeing them on this card is perfect.
That Eastern Conference Finals in 1993 wasn’t easy for the Bulls at all, especially needing to work so hard just to pull even after four games.
The reverse sums it up nicely: “The Chicago Bulls, after dropping the first two games of the best-of-seven Eastern Conference Finals against New York, came back to even the series by beating the Knicks 105-95 in Game 4.
Michael Jordan, whose Playoff scoring average of 34.7 ppg is tops in NBA history, led the Bulls by scoring a game-high 54 points.”
- #3
1993 SkyBox Premium #207 Toni Kukoc Rookie Card
Rookie CardPSA 10 Value $50Total PSA PopulationPSA 10 PopulationPSA 10 Grade Rate 0.0% (Set Avg: 0.0%)Michael Jordan’s retirement meant everyone on the Chicago Bulls needed to step up.
Rookie Toni Kukoc answered that call as well as anyone.
A three-time EuroLeague MVP and two-time Olympic silver medalist, the legend of Toni Kukoc preceded him to the NBA.
Kukoc slotted in as a first-wave reserve behind Scottie Pippen and Horace Grant, using his versatility as a forward to Chicago’s advantage.
He was also a dead-eye shooter.
And that was no more apparent than in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
With the Knicks and Bulls tied at 102 with 1.8 seconds left, head coach Phil Jackson drew up a play for Kukoc to take the last shot.
Talk about confidence in your rookie under pressure.
And the plan worked.
The 25-year-old Croatian Sensation drilled a picture-perfect 23-foot buzzer-beater to give the Bulls their first win of the series.
Chicago would eventually fall in seven.
But Kukoc earned his spot for years to come.
An All-Rookie Second Team selection, Kukoc averaged 10.9 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 3.4 assists in 24.1 minutes per game.
- #4
1993 SkyBox Premium #227 Chris Webber Rookie Card
Rookie CardPSA 10 Value $40Total PSA PopulationPSA 10 PopulationPSA 10 Grade Rate 0.0% (Set Avg: 0.0%)It’s fun to think of an alternate world in which the Orlando Magic had stuck with Chris Webber after drafting him first overall in the 1993 NBA Draft.
Just imagine what a frontcourt combo of Shaq and Webber might have done.
But, thanks to a pick-up game with Magic players and local talent two days before the draft, it never happened.
During that pick-up game, Memphis shooting guard Anfernee Hardaway raised enough eyebrows to convince the front office to pass on Webber.
On draft night, the Magic went ahead and selected Webber at number one.
Fifteen minutes later, Orlando traded his draft rights to Golden State for Hardaway and three future first-round picks in a draft night blockbuster.
Rather than feeling snubbed or letting the trade get under his skin, Webber immediately got to work.
A complete package and a ready-made NBA star, the 20-year-old former Fab Five helped improve the Warriors from 34 wins to 50 wins.
The 1993-94 NBA Rookie of the Year, Webber averaged nearly a double-double (17.5 points, 9.1 rebounds).
However, Webber and head coach Don Nelson never saw eye to eye.
And by next year, Webber was playing for the Washington Bullets.
- #5
1993 SkyBox Premium #259 Anfernee Hardaway Rookie Card
Rookie CardPSA 10 Value $40Total PSA PopulationPSA 10 PopulationPSA 10 Grade Rate 0.0% (Set Avg: 0.0%)The Orlando Magic paid a hefty price to bring Anfernee Hardaway over from Golden State.
The package of Chris Webber and three future first-round picks was no joke.
Hardaway soon put Orlando fans at ease.
With the help of veteran point guard Scott Skiles, Hardaway made a smooth transition from shooting guard to the point to help open up the floor.
The move paid off handsomely.
With “Penny” running the offense and locking down opposing guards at will, the Magic raced to a 50-win season and the franchise’s first playoff appearance.
Despite averages of 18.7 points, 7.0 assists, 6.7 rebounds, and 1.7 steals from Hardaway, the Magic were swept out of the first round three games to none by a stacked, veteran Indiana Pacers squad.
Still, there were plenty of reasons for hope in Orlando.
Chris Webber may have taken Rookie of the Year honors.
And the 1994 NBA playoffs may have ended with a thud.
But the Orlando Magic’s future was as bright as the Florida sun.
- #6
1993 SkyBox Premium #47 Scottie Pippen
PSA 10 Value $30Total PSA PopulationPSA 10 PopulationPSA 10 Grade Rate 0.0% (Set Avg: 0.0%)When Michael Jordan announced his retirement, almost everyone thought the Bulls would be lost without him.
And, yes, they weren’t able to continue winning championships.
But they didn’t exactly fall apart, either.
In fact, they won 55 games during the regular season, just two shy of the year before during their three-peat title run.
And much of the credit goes to Scottie Pippen for transitioning from sidekick to team leader.
Pippen finished the 1993-94 season with career highs in points per game (22.0 ppg) and rebounds per game (8.7 rpg), and also finished second in the NBA with 2.9 steals per conteSt. Essentially, Pippen just continued doing what he had been doing for several years: be a stud on both offense and defense.
He just did it without Jordan’s safety net by his side.
And he almost led them to another championship if not for the pesky New York Knicks.
Pippen and crew had no problem with the Cleveland Cavaliers, sweeping them in the First Round.
But, like in previous years, the New York Knicks were ready for a brawl.
And this time, they came out on top, edging Chicago by ten points in Game 7 at Madison Square Garden.
- #7
1993 SkyBox Premium #70 Dennis Rodman
PSA 10 Value $30Total PSA PopulationPSA 10 PopulationPSA 10 Grade Rate 0.0% (Set Avg: 0.0%)It’s no secret that Dennis Rodman’s life reached a turning point in February 1993.
Struggling with off-the-court issues and fighting depression, Rodman was found asleep in his car with a loaded rifle by a police officer performing a wellness check.
Thankfully, Rodman used that low point for positive change.
“I decided that instead [of killing myself] I was gonna kill the impostor that was leading Dennis Rodman to a place he didn’t want to go,” Rodman later wrote in his autobiography.
But he wanted out of Detroit.
And with three years remaining on his contract, the Pistons agreed to send him to San Antonio before the 1993-94 NBA season.
Together with All-Star center David Robinson, the duo formed one of the most menacing frontcourts in the league.
Rodman kept doing what he did best: leading the league boards for the third straight season (17.3 rpg) and earning yet another All-Defensive team selection.
And despite any distractions or antics that came with him, the Spurs capitalized on his on-court abilities to finish at 55-27.
Despite that momentum, the Utah Jazz slammed the door on the Spurs, sweeping them in a first-round upset.
- #8
1993 SkyBox Premium #81 Hakeem Olajuwon
PSA 10 Value $30Total PSA PopulationPSA 10 PopulationPSA 10 Grade Rate 0.0% (Set Avg: 0.0%)Many superstars saw a window of opportunity with Michael Jordan away for nearly two years.
Nobody capitalized on it better than Hakeem Olajuwon.
He was simply the best player in the game.
The 31-year-old center finished third in the NBA in scoring (27.3 ppg), fourth in rebounding (11.9 rpg), and second in blocks (3.7).
He was seemingly everywhere at all times.
Earning 66 of a possible 100 first-place votes, Olajuwon was an easy choice for his first and only NBA MVP award.
More importantly for Olajuwon and the Rockets, he used that regular-season success as a jumping block for an NBA title.
But fellow superstar center Patrick Ewing and the New York Knicks wouldn’t make it easy.
They were arguably more motivated than anyone, especially considering how many times Jordan and the Bulls had previously shut them down in the EaSt. The seven-game series was a back-and-forth brawl that ultimately swung in Houston’s favor with a 90-84 Game 7 win.
Olajuwon finished the series averaging 29.1 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 3.86 blocks to win NBA Finals MVP.
In doing so, he became the seventh player in NBA history to win both regular-season and Finals MVP honors.
- #9
1993 SkyBox Premium #133 Shaq
PSA 10 Value $30Total PSA PopulationPSA 10 PopulationPSA 10 Grade Rate 0.0% (Set Avg: 0.0%)Everyone remembers the damage that Shaq did with Kobe Bryant and Dwayne Wade.
They almost forget what he did with Anfernee Hardaway before them.
The 1992-93 NBA Rookie of the Year, O’Neal was a monster down low.
And though he and rookie Chris Webber would’ve been an even bigger nightmare to deal with under the rim, it was in the Magic’s interest to strengthen their game outside.
Trading Webber for Hardaway was the solution.
With Penny Hardaway by his side, Shaquille O’Neal had the perfect playmaker to put the entire NBA on notice.
No longer could teams simply focus on Shaq.
With the court opened up, O’Neal led the NBA in field-goal percentage (.599) and finished second to San Antonio’s David Robinson in the league’s scoring title race (29.3 ppg to Robinson’s 29.8).
The dual threat of Hardaway and O’Neal worked wonders all season long, culminating in the franchise’s first playoff birth.
But Reggie Miller and the Indiana Pacers didn’t let Orlando’s joy last for long.
Shaq was dominant, averaging 20.7 points and 13.3 rebounds in the first-round showdown.
But the Pacers were the better team overall, barely eeking out a one-point and two-point victory in Games 1 and 2, respectively, before closing out Game 3 in Indianapolis by 13.
- #10
1993 SkyBox Premium #145 Charles Barkley
PSA 10 Value $30Total PSA PopulationPSA 10 PopulationPSA 10 Grade Rate 0.0% (Set Avg: 0.0%)Nobody took it to Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls harder during their first three-peat than Barkley and the 1992-93 Phoenix Suns.
It took six hard-fought games for Jordan and crew to win the 1993 NBA championship.
During the Bulls’ four victories, they outscored Phoenix by just 18 points.
Chicago won Game 2 by three points and squeaked out a Game 6 victory on the road by a single point.
So, it’s not like they just ran over the Suns.
And that made the end of the 1993-94 campaign even more frustrating for Barkley.
Barkley was the reigning MVP.
The core of the Suns’ roster was intact.
And Jordan was gone.
The path seemed all but clear for Barkley to finally get his ring.
But Hakeem Olajuwon and the Houston Rockets became a big problem in the Western Conference Semifinals.
Phoenix started hot, taking a 2-0 lead before Houston bounced back with three straight.
Barkley locked in to key a Game 6 triumph with his fifth double-double of the series (18 points, 15 rebounds).
But Olajuwon went nuts in Game 7, posting 37 points and 17 points to clinch the series for Houston before ultimately carrying them to an NBA title.
Olajuwon ended up with two rings.
Unfortunately, Barkley never got one.
- #11
1993 SkyBox Premium #98 Reggie Miller
PSA 10 Value $25Total PSA PopulationPSA 10 PopulationPSA 10 Grade Rate 0.0% (Set Avg: 0.0%)If there’s one image that follows Reggie Miller’s legacy around, it comes from Game 5 of the 1994 Eastern Conference Finals.
Miller scored 19.9 points per game during the 93′-94 regular season, nearly eight points more than his closest teammate.
He shot over 50% of the field with a sky-high usage rate, nailed 42.1% of his threes, and shot nearly 91% from the free-throw line.
In doing so, he became just the third member of the exclusive 50/40/90 club.
Come playoff time, Miller had that look and that swagger.
He torched the Magic in the first round for nearly 30 points per game and nailed several clutch shots in a six-game Conference Semifinal dub over Atlanta.
And then, the Conference Finals.
In a tense rematch of a four-game First Round loss with the New York Knicks a year before, the Pacers erased a 2-0 series deficit with two home wins.
Down 70-58 after three in a pivotal Game 5, Miller dropped 25 in the fourth to break the spirits of a wild MSG crowd.
The forever image came in the waning seconds.
Miller stared down Spike Lee in the front row and wrapped his hands around his neck in a choking gesture.
The Pacers won 93-86.
Poetically, Indiana choked away a 3-2 series lead with back-to-back losses.
- #12
1993 SkyBox Premium #168 David Robinson
PSA 10 Value $25Total PSA PopulationPSA 10 PopulationPSA 10 Grade Rate 0.0% (Set Avg: 0.0%)The San Antonio Spurs’ fifth consecutive playoff appearance ended with a whimper, as the previous four had before.
After a rousing 106-89 win to open their First Round series with the Utah Jazz, the 4th-seeded Spurs dropped three to bow out in four.
David Robinson’s 20/10 average for the series kept the Spurs hanging around.
However, it was still one hell of a crash from the soaring highs at the end of the regular season.
Locked in a coin-toss race with Shaquille O’Neal for the NBA scoring title, “The Admiral” turned Game #82 into his playground.
Robinson went 26 of 41 from the field in a 112-97 win over the Los Angeles Clippers, adding 18 free throws for a jaw-dropping 71 points.
The four-quarter barrage secured Robinson’s first-and-only scoring title by a 29.8 to 29.3 margin.
“I looked up at the scoreboard.
I said, ’71 points.
Oh, my goodness!’ It was unbelievable,” Robinson said.
“My team has been behind me the whole year.
They always push me to do a lot of individual things.
As a leader, I just try to win games, but tonight they really wanted me to shoot it.”
Ross’s Take
Consisting of two series of 191 and 150 cards, respectively, the 1993 SkyBox basketball set doesn’t contain a lot of fluff and gets straight to the point.
Unlike the 1993 Upper Deck set, SkyBox didn’t go bonkers on how many times they put Michael Jordan in the set.
There were only 341 cards in the checklist so SkyBox kept things nice and tight.
Several of the insert sets like “Draft Picks,” “Showdown Series,” “Shaq Talk,” and “Dynamic Dunks” spiced things up a bit.
The “Head of the Class Top NBA Draft Picks” inserts numbered 15,000 and the “Head of the Class” redemption cards found in 1 in 360 series one packs helped boost intereSt. There were also different subsets, including: Playoff Performances (#4 – 21) Changing Faces (#292 – 318) Poster Cards (#319 – 338)
However, I mostly recall most kids in my area looking for the Jordan and Shaq base cards, as well as the big-name rookies like Webber, Hardaway and guys like Allan Houston, Jamal Mashburn, Nick Van Exel and Vin Baker.
Mashburn was arguably hyped just as much in the hobby as Webber and Hardaway, after a standout career at the University of Kentucky.
Overall, it was such a strange time in the hobby with Michael Jordan retiring and many of the up-and-coming players being hyped up to help fill the void he was leaving.
And going through this checklist brings back so many great memories of that time period.
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