The Victor Wembanyama rookie card hunt is driving the basketball card season. There hasn’t been a hoops prospect with as much hobby hype since Zion Williamson.
By the time the last 2023-24 basketball card set arrives, there will be dozens of Victor Wembanyama rookie cards. On top of those are the various parallels that follow as well as inserts that bring more parallels. Simply put, this isn’t the 1980s. You won’t be able to have every Victor Wembanyama card from his rookie season. On the flip side, collectors will have plenty of options when it comes to both their preferences and budgets.
Where Are the Victor Wembanyama Autograph Cards?
Unless there’s a big change to the basketball card landscape in 2023-24, it’s unlikely you’ll find any Victor Wembanyama autograph cards inside any NBA products. They’re a casualty of exclusives. While Panini holds the exclusive rights to NBA cards, Fanatics has an exclusive autograph deal with the French center.
That doesn’t mean that there aren’t Victor Wembanyama autographs, though. Topps, who is owned by Fanatics, has included him in some of their products and online offerings. These range from online exclusives under the Topps Now banner, university-themed Bowman sets and even Allen & Ginter Baseball. None have NBA logos, though.
Victor Wembanyama Rookie Card Guide
Ready to take a deep dive into Victor Wembanyama rookie cards? You’ve come to the right place. The breakdown below highlights all of his mainstream rookies, base parallel info and insert checklists. Values are to give you an idea of where that particular card stands against other Victor Wembanyama rookie cards ($$$$$ = most valuable, $ = cheapest). While an estimate and not exact science, these rankings should remain the same no matter how things play out on the court into the future. If you’re looking for pricing specifics or want to add a card to your collection, click on the links to see current market prices on eBay.
This guide will expand as new sets come out.
2023-24 Donruss Victor Wembanyama Rookie Card #220
The Rated Rookie is one of the most well known subsets in the hobby. Nostalgia and the iconic logo have given these cards a little additional weight given the generous print run and wide availability. Its reception is similar to Hoops in that there’s no shortage of copies out there but prices command a bit of a premium over other similar brands. That’s the power of branding in the hobby. Collectors have their go-to lines at varying price points and this is one for the budget-conscious set.
Wembanyama has several inserts in 2023-24 Donruss Basketball as well. For those hunting for short prints, there’s Night Moves and Animation. Perhaps the most interesting is Next Day. Most of these come autographed. However, the 2023 first overall pick is one of several players who didn’t sign so instead Panini emblazoned the card with a massive “No Autograph” note.
Value: $$ 1/2
Parallels: Choice Dragon, Green Laser Holo, Red, Red and Gold Laser Holo, Silver Press Proof, Yellow Flood, Purple Press Proof (#’ed/199), Laser Holo (#’ed/149), Orange Laser Holo (#’ed/125), Choice Red (#’ed/99), Purple Laser Holo (#’ed/99), Red Laser Holo (#’ed/99), Fireworks Red (#’ed/88), Red and Green Laser Holo (#’ed/75), Silver Die-Cut Press Proof (#’ed/75), Pink Laser Holo (#’ed/50), Blue Laser Holo (#’ed/49), Choice Blue (#’ed/49), Blue and Green Laser Holo (#’ed/35), Gold Die-Cut Press Proof (#’ed/25), Light Blue Laser Holo (#’ed/25), Yellow Laser Holo (#’ed/25), Teal Laser Holo (#’ed/20), Red and Blue Laser Holo (#’ed/15), Choice Gold (#’ed/10), Gold Laser Holo (#’ed/10), Choice Black Gold (#’ed/8), Black Laser Holo (1/1), Choice Black (1/1)
Other 2023-24 Donruss Victor Wembanyama cards:
- Animation #4
- Fadeaway #11
- Franchise Features #29
- Great X-Pectations #10
- Hardwood Masters #3
- Magicians #1
- Next Day #ND-VWB
- Night Moves #23
- Playmakers #11
- Retro Series #1
- The Rookies #1
2023-24 Donruss Elite Victor Wembanyama Rookie Card #231
A little bit of foil and not much else. Elite is a long-running brand that goes back nearly 30 years. Pretty much the entire time, foil has been the backdrop — and not the fancy kind. The result has some shine but it’s not nearly as elevated a look as it did back in the 1990s. Parallels, on the other hand, provide plenty of pop.
Wembanyama’s inserts in 2023-24 Elite Basketball offer several types of card technology like etched foil, acetate and lenticular. Spellbound offers ten different cards of the Spurs rookie, one for each letter in Wembanyama’s last name.
Value: $$$
Parallels: Hyper Red and Green International, International, Mixorama, Orange, Aspirations (#’/99), Blue (#’ed/99), Hyper Red International (#’ed/88), Neon Green (#’ed/75), Purple (#’ed/49), Black (#’ed/25), Hyper Green International (#’ed/24), Pink FOTL (#’ed/17), Gold (#’ed/10), Hyper Gold International (#’ed/10), Lucky Envelopes International (#’ed/8), Platinum FOTL (#’ed/3), Elite (#’ed1/1), Status (1/1)
Other 2023-24 Donruss Elite Victor Wembanyama cards:
- Clarity #20
- Clear Path #4
- Craftsmen #17
- Equalizers #1
- Full Throttle #3
- Glass Masters #8
- Next Up #3
- Spellbound #1-10
2023-24 Hoops Victor Wembanyama Rookie Card #277
2023-24 Hoops was the first product to offer pack-pulled Victor Wembanyama cards in a Spurs uniform. While that carries some weight early on, more important is that it comes from one of the hobby’s longest running brands. Besides his standard rookie card, the French star has a “Hoops Tribute” subset card in the base set as well.
Value: $$
Parallels: Blue, Hyper Blue, Impulse, Neon Green, Purple, Purple Winter, Red Backs, Teal Explosion, Winter, Yellow, Premium Box Set (#’ed/199), Silver (#’ed/199), Green (#’ed/99), Hyper Red (#’ed/99), Gravity (#’ed/75), Red (#’ed/75), Blue Explosion (#’ed/59), Artist Proof (#’ed/25), Hyper Green (#’ed/25), Orange Explosion (#’ed/25), Red Explosion (#’ed/15), Artist Proof Gold (#’ed/10), Hyper Gold (#’ed/10), Artist Proof Black (1/1)
Other 2023-24 Hoops Victor Wembanyama cards:
- Base #298 “Hoops Tribute”
- Anti Gravity #15
- Arriving Now #26
- Attack the Rack #1
- City Edition #30
- Extreme Team #1
- Ignition #20
- Now Playing #26
- Presentations #20
- Rise N Shine Memorabilia #RS-WEM
- Rookie Greetings #1
- Rookie Special #3
- Sheesh #23
- Rookie Sweaters #RSW-VWE
- We Got Next #33
2023-24 Panini Court Kings Victor Wembanyama Rookie Card #73 (Rookies I), #106 (Rookies II), #139 (Rookies III), #172 (Rookies IV)
Victor Wembanyama has four different cards in the 2023-24 Court Kings base set. As the card numbers get higher, print runs get smaller. So going by traditional definitions for rookie cards, the first would get the honor. No matter how you label it, #172 is the rarest and most valuable.
None have parallels and each has its own design, each based loosely on a different style of artwork.
Wemby has more than a dozen other inserts in Court Kings including a trio of memorabilia cards. Among the most interesting are First Steps, which focuses on sneakers, and Dressed to Success, which opts for fashion over uniforms.
Value: $$ to $$$$
Buy on eBay: #73 (Rookies I) | #106 (Rookies II) | #139 (Rookies III) | #172 (Rookies IV)
Other 2023-24 Panini Court Kings Victor Wembanyama Cards:
- Acetate Rookies #4
- Art Nouveau #AN-WEM
- Artistic Endeavours #AE-WEM
- Artistry in Motion #12
- Aurora #8
- Blank Slate #12
- Debut Showcase Memorabilia #DSM-WEM
- Double Exposure #19
- Dressed to Impress #5
- First Steps #1
- Modern Strokes #27
- Paint by Numbers #1
- Rookie Exclusive #1
- Self Expression #7
- State of the Art #10
- Water Color #1
- Works in Progress #2
2023-24 Panini Origins Victor Wembanyama Rookie Card #86
As a brand, Origins stands out for a couple of reasons. The first is the consistently etherial designs, which take things into space for 2023-24. It’s also a brand that’s heavy on rookie autographs. The latter doesn’t matter so much here thanks to Wembanyama’s signature not appearing in Panini products due to his Fanatics-exclusive deal. Over the years, Origins has evolved to add additional configurations and a greater number of inserts.
Value: $$$
Parallels: Basketballs, Cosmos, Red, Tessellated, Maroon (#’ed/115), Blue (#’ed/99), Orange (#’ed/75), Pink (#’ed/60), Neon Stripes (#’ed/49), Neon Green (#’ed/25), Turquoise (#’ed/25), Purple FOTL (#’ed/16), Gold (#’ed/10), Green (#’ed/5), Swirl FOTL (#’ed/3), Black (1/1)
Other 2023-24 Panini Origins Victor Wembanyama cards:
- Base Variations #86
- Big Bang #4
- Catapults #3
- Cosmic Storm #14
- Dawn #25
- Euphoria #1
- Nucleus #8
- Originals #13
- Rookie Jumbo Jerseys #RJJ-WEM
- Snake Eyes #1
- Taking the Leap #19
- Tiger Eyes #8
2023-24 Panini Prizm Victor Wembanyama Rookie Card #136
When it comes to Victor Wembanyama rookie cards, 2023-24 Panini Prizm is a big deal. Arguably the biggest basketball card set of the season, the card comes with the trademark massive parallel rainbow that mixes a variety of colors, patterns and background patterns. When people ask what the one rookie card of a basketball player they should get, Prizm is the most common answer for players during the Panini era. Wemby is no different. It might not carry the price tag of National Treasures, Immaculate or other super premium sets, this is a card that moves in bulk.
Value: $$$
Parallels: Blue Wave, Choice Blue/Yellow/Green, Choice Tiger Stripe, Fast Break, Glitter, Green, Green Ice, Green Wave, Hyper, Ice, Orange Ice, Pink Ice, Pulsar, Red Ice, Red Sparkle, Red/White/Blue, Ruby Wave, Silver, Snakeskin, White Sparkle
Red (#’ed/299), Red Seismic (#’ed/299), Teal Ice (#’ed/225), Blue (#’ed/199), White (#’ed/175), Blue Fast Break (#’ed/150), Premium Factory Set (#’ed/150), Purple Ice (#’ed/149), Blue Spakle (#’ed/144), Blue Ice (#’ed/125), Red Fast Break (#’ed/100), Blue Seismic (#’ed/99), Purple (#’ed/99), Choice Red (#’ed/88), Multi Wave (#’ed/88), Purple Fast Break (#’ed/75), Red Power (#’ed/75), Orange Wave (#’ed/60), Pink Fast Break (#’ed/50), Choice Blue (#’ed/49), Orange (#’ed/49), Pink Pulsar (#’ed/42), White Wave (#’ed/38), Blue Shimmer FOTL (#’ed/35), Purple Pulsar (#’ed/35), White Ice (#’ed/35), Green Pulsar (#’ed/25), Mojo (#’ed/25), Gold Sparkle (#’ed/24), Bronze Fast Break (#’ed/20), Choice Cherry Blossom (#’ed/20), Gold (#’ed/10), Gold Shimmer FOTL (#’ed/10), Gold Wave (#’ed/10), Choice Green (#’ed/8), Green Sparkle (#’ed/8), Lucky Envelopes (#’ed/8), Black Gold (#’ed/5), Green Shimmer FOTL (#’ed/5), Neon Green Fast Break (#’ed/5), Black (1/1), Black Shimmer FOTL (1/1), Choice Nebula (1/1)
Other 2023-24 Panini Prizm Victor Wembanyama cards:
- Deep Space #1
- Emergent #12
- Global Reach #2
- Instant Impact #3
- Luck of the Lottery #7
- Prizmania #11
- Rookie Variations #136
2023-24 Panini Prizm Monopoly Victor Wembanyama Rookie Card #81
The combination seems like it shouldn’t work, but Prizm and Monopoly proved to be popular enough in 2022-23 that it returned for a second season. The product mixes the board game with traditional basketball cards including a variety of pack configurations and a large parallel mix. Joining the usual colors are a variety of Monopoly icons.
Given its retail distribution, there should be no shortage of these Victor Wembanyama rookie cards out there. Like regular Prizm, the challenge comes with the low-numbered parallels. There are also some tough inserts including Money Blast, which is a new spin on the popular Prizm Color Blast.
Value: $$
Parallels: Deal, Dice, Free Parking, Go, Monopoly Man Black and White, Monopoly Red Pattern, Purple Prizms, Silver Prizms, Sparkle, Tiger Stripe Boardwalk Blue, Gold Millionaire Shimmer (#’ed/500), Brown (#’ed/249), Light Blue (#’ed/199), Pink (#’ed/149), Orange (#’ed/124), Red Millionaire Shimmer (#’ed/100), Red (#’ed/99), Purple Millionaire Shimmer (#’ed/50), Gold (#’ed/49), Question Mark (#’ed/25), Green (#’ed/24), Green Millionaire Shimmer (#’ed/20), Boardwalk Blue (#’ed/15), Blue Millionaire Shimmer (#’ed/10), Gold Wave Millionaire (#’ed/10), Neon Green (#’ed/10), Black Gold (#’ed/5), Pink Millionaire Shimmer (#’ed/5), Black (1/1), White Millionaire Shimmer (1/1)
Other 2023-24 Panini Prizm Monopoly Victor Wembanyama cards:
2023-24 Panini Revolution Victor Wembanyama Rookie Card #104
As a brand, Revolution is a little different than most releases. It’s one that doesn’t stress autographs and traditional big hits. Instead, it goes all-in with wild designs that come through most obviously with the variety of foil background patterns. In the past, it has been a hobby-centric release with an overseas configuration as well. But with Wembanyama in the mix, Revolution added retail blasters as well in 2023-24. This will likely mean an influx in available base rookie cards compared to other years.
Value: $$
Parallels: Astro, Chinese New Year, Fractal, Galactic, Groove, Red Swirl (#’ed/199), Impact (#’ed/149), Neutron (#’ed/125), Cosmic (#’ed/99), Emerald Chinese New Year (#’ed/88), Holo Silver Asia (#’ed/75), Sunburst (#’ed/75), Future Frame (#’ed/60), Cubic (#’ed/50), Levels (#’ed/35), Holo Gold Asia (#’ed/10), Lava (#’ed/10), Holo Gold Chinese New Year (#’ed/8)
Other 2023-24 Panini Revolution Victor Wembanyama cards:
- Liftoff #6
- Prime Time Performers #16
- Revolutionary #25
- Rookie Revolution #14
- Rookie Variations #104
- Shock Wave #15
- Star Factor #10
- Supernova #6
- Vortex #1
