The Memphis Grizzlies drafted Ja Morant 2nd overall in the 2019 NBA Draft after Morant completed his second season at Murray State University. Morant was a highly touted prospect coming out of college and the most expensive Ja Morant card reflects these high expectations.
Basketball card prices are at an all-time high following 2020 which changed the sports card market forever. Morant’s most expensive cards increased along with the broader market and as a result several card values exceed $30,000.
The list of the top 5 most expensive Ja Morant cards and investment advice are provided below. If you are interested in buying a Morant rookie card, check out my complete list of Ja Morant Rookie Cards.
5. 2019 Panini Flawless Ja Morant Diamond Rookie Card – $34,800 (Buy on eBay)
The 5th most expensive Ja Morant card sold is the 2019 Panini Flawless Ja Morant Diamond rookie card. A collector and / or investor purchased the card for $34,800 on eBay on December 30, 2020.
The card is numbered 3/3 and is the 2nd rarest parallel in the 2019 Panini Flawless basketball set. To provide context, the parallels included in the set are the following:
- Gold: #/10
- Emerald #/5
- Bronze #/3 (this card)
- Platinum #1
The card features Morant in a blue Grizzlies jersey dribbling the basketball with his right-hand. The “RC” logo is centered just below the image of Morant and the “3/3” designation is just below that logo. The card also includes a diamond and bronze-colored framing.
4. 2019 National Treasures Ja Morant Rookie Patch Auto — $39,999 (Buy on eBay)
The 4th most expensive Ja Morant card sold is the BGS 9 2019 National Treasures Ja Morant RPA card. A collector and / or investor purchased the card for $39,999 on eBay on January 18, 2021.
The card is numbered /99 and is part of the Vertical Rookie Patch Auto set in 2019 National Treasures Basketball. To provide context, the parallels included in the set are the following:
- Base RPA (Vertical): #/99 (this card)
- Horizontal: #/75
- Bronze #/49
- Stars and Stripes – #/30
- Gold – #/10
- Emerald – #/5
- Stars and Stripes Blue FOTL – #/3
- Logoman – 1/1
The card features Morant in a light-blue Grizzlies jersey shooting the basketball. The card also features a multi-color jersey patch and on-card autograph. The “RC” logo is centered near the bottom of the card and the “#/99” designation is on the bottom-right side of the card.
3. 2019 National Treasures Ja Morant Rookie Patch Auto — $40,000 (Buy on eBay)
The 3rd most expensive Ja Morant card sold is another BGS 9 2019 National Treasures Ja Morant RPA card. A collector and / or investor purchased the card for $40,000 on eBay on December 18, 2020.
This is the same card as #4 on this list, but as you can see in the image below, the patch is slightly different.
2. 2019 National Treasures Ja Morant Stars & Stripes Rookie Patch Auto — $50,000 (Buy on eBay)
The 2nd most expensive Ja Morant card sold is the BGS 9 2019 National Treasures Stars and Strips Ja Morant RPA card. A collector and / or investor purchased the card for $50,000 on eBay on January 2, 2021.
The card is numbered /30 and is part of the Stars & Stripes Vertical RPA set in 2019 National Treasures Basketball. To provide context, the parallels included in the set are the following:
- Base RPA (Vertical): #/99
- Horizontal: #/75
- Bronze #/49
- Stars and Stripes – #/30 (this card)
- Gold – #/10
- Emerald – #/5
- Stars and Stripes Blue FOTL – #/3
- Logoman – 1/1
The card design is like cards #3 and #4 on this list but includes ‘Stars and Stripes’ features. Specifically, there is ‘Stars and Stripes’ design horizontally behind the patch and Morant’s image, and around Morant’s name and team at the bottom-center of the card.
The lower #, out of 30 instead of out of 99, is the likely reason for the higher value.
1. 2019 National Treasures Ja Morant Emerald Rookie Patch Auto — $60,100 (Buy on eBay)
The most expensive Ja Morant card sold is the 2019 National Treasures Emerald Ja Morant RPA rookie card. A collector and / or investor purchased the card for $60,100 on eBay on July 23, 2020.
The card is numbered /5 and is part of the Emerald Vertical RPA set in 2019 National Treasures Basketball. To provide context, the parallels included in the set are the following:
- Base RPA (Vertical): #/99
- Horizontal: #/75
- Bronze #/49
- Stars and Stripes – #/30
- Gold – #/10
- Emerald – #/5 (this card)
- Stars and Stripes Blue FOTL – #/3
- Logoman – 1/1
The card design is like cards #2, #3, and #4 on this list but include emerald-colored boarders around the patch and “RC” logo.
Once again, you can observe a higher price paid for a rarer variation of the same card.
Ja Morant Card Investment Advice
As of the 2020-21 NBA season, I classify Morant as having Moderate Risk with Moderate Upside potential.
I have provided detailed investment advice along with a checklist of Ja Morant Rookie Cards in another post, but I will summarize the main investment advice here.
Morant’s card prices already have high expectations built into the price which means he will need to achieve extraordinary success to drive prices even higher.
If Morant achieves a level of success like James Harden, Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard, and other future hall-of-famers, his cards still have upside. Anything less than that, Morant’s card prices will likely remain flat or decrease.
Therefore, buy Morant if you like him as a player and wish to collect his cards, but do not buy his cards expecting a guaranteed positive return.
