In the high-stakes world of sports collectibles, where rookie cards of basketball legends and baseball hall-of-famers are treasured like fine art, a new name has emerged, causing chaos in the card-grading universe: Caitlin Clark. That’s right, folks, the Indiana Fever sensation isn’t just schooling opponents on the court—she’s now schooling the trading card world too. Move over, LeBron, there’s a new MVP in town.
According to Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA), Clark’s trading cards have been absolutely flying off the shelves… well, into the grading rooms. PSA has been flooded with about 42,000 Caitlin Clark cards this year, a staggering 20 times more than the next WNBA star, Chicago Sky’s Angel Reese. And let’s be honest, who wouldn’t want to invest in a player who’s dominating the court and the collectors’ market like a baller with a gold-plated jump shot?
Clark’s rare cards are not just mere cardboard; they’re essentially tiny stocks with her face on them. Some of her most exclusive cards have fetched prices north of $75,000—yes, that’s more than her base salary this season. You read that right: Clark’s cards are out-earning Clark herself. PSA president Ryan Hoge summed it up perfectly: “We’ve got a superstar in Caitlin Clark.” Well, it’s about time the WNBA gets the attention it deserves in this high-stakes collector’s world—because who says trading cards should only be a man’s game?
But hold up, Clark’s not the only one making waves. Right behind her in the card-grading frenzy are college players. Yeah, you heard that right. UConn guard Paige Bueckers and USC guard JuJu Watkins have combined for 6,000 submissions, proving that you don’t even need to go pro to send collectors into a card-grading stampede. It’s March Madness all over again, except this time the madness is driven by NIL deals and custom collectibles that fans can snatch up before these future pros even touch a WNBA ball.
Speaking of madness, WNBA rookie Cameron Brink is sitting comfortably in fifth place with her cards flying into PSA’s inbox—until she got knocked out for the season with a knee injury. Tough break, Brink, but hey, at least your cardboard self will live on. Reese, too, had her season cut short thanks to wrist surgery, just as her playoff hopes were getting spicy. And as for Clark? Her Fever are hanging by a thread in the playoffs, facing elimination against the Connecticut Sun. But hey, even if Clark and company exit the postseason, their trading cards are here to stay, and collectors everywhere are still grading them like their lives depend on it.
With a record 2.4 million viewers tuning in for the WNBA Draft, and young stars like Clark, Bueckers, and Brink drawing new fans into the game, women’s basketball is officially collecting its well-deserved flowers. And if you can’t afford courtside seats to see Clark play, maybe her card will do the trick—just don’t forget to get it graded.
So, in a nutshell: WNBA trading cards are the hot commodity right now, and Caitlin Clark’s name is practically stamped in gold. Get ready, collectors—this might just be the trading card boom you never saw coming.
