Welcome to Ripped, where we get up close with the hobby’s biggest new releases and show you exactly what’s inside.
For our inaugural edition, we’re digging into a landmark drop — 2025-26 Topps Flagship Basketball, the company’s first fully licensed NBA product since 2009-10.
We grabbed a hobby box during Topps’ initial presale and a couple of retail hangers to see how the experience compares across formats. In our Wax Watch before release, we called this set “absolutely rippable.” Now it’s time to see if it lives up to the hype.
Base Cards
Topps lifted the design straight from this year’s baseball flagship — and that’s not a complaint. We liked the look back in spring, and it works just as well (if not better) for basketball.
The image layering — where the player photography breaks over the white border — gives the cards great depth and motion. It makes stars like Cooper Flagg and Trae Young pop in-hand.
Quality control is mostly solid. Centering and corners are consistent, and surface issues are minimal. These should grade easily if you’re chasing slabs.
Verdict: A
Inserts
Topps went all-in on inserts for this release — even more so than in baseball. You’ll recognize some returning favorites like Power Players, 8-Bit Ballers, and Stars of the NBA/MLB. But there are also plenty of basketball-only sets that keep the checklist fresh.
We’re big fans of Topps’ new split approach — making certain inserts hobby-only and others retail-exclusive. It gives collectors a reason to chase both.
That said, the execution isn’t perfect. Heavier foil inserts show noticeable edge wear and peeling. Our pulled Cooper Flagg “Rise to Stardom” had visible chipping on two corners — the kind of thing that can tank a grade.
With print runs this large, these inserts could end up being the best long-term holds, so it’s disappointing to see the QC miss here.
Verdict: B+
What’s not to like?
Overall, we’re still high on this product. It’s everything you want from a flagship-style release — a deep checklist, strong design, and plenty of inserts to chase.
That said, it’s impossible to ignore the elephant in the room: Luka Dončić and Zion Williamson are completely absent from the checklist. Not even a base card appearance. Both players remain under exclusive deals with Panini, which likely explains the omission.
It’s a noticeable gap for a product meant to celebrate the full NBA landscape. The good news? There may be some flexibility here — Topps has already released Luka Dončić Topps Now cards this season, suggesting those deals aren’t totally ironclad. Hopefully theres a way going forward to get these stars into future sets.
Final Thoughts
Our opinion hasn’t changed: this product is still a ripper. The price-per-card value is among the best in basketball right now, and early singles (like base Flagg rookies) are selling for nearly the cost of a hanger box.
Long term, we expect prices to cool as the market absorbs how much Topps actually printed — and trust us, it’s a lot. But that should open up great buying opportunities once the initial hype fades.
We’ll be ripping plenty more once the retail megas drop in November.
Bring on the Hits!
Check out what we pulled below — and let us know your best hits in the comments.
Disclaimer: The content in The Hobby Wire is for informational and entertainment purposes only. Commentary, analysis, and opinions on sports cards, rookies, and the hobby are not financial, investment, or professional advice. Collectors should always do their own research before buying, selling, or trading cards. Market values are volatile and can change rapidly—past performance is not a guarantee of future results.
Unless specified, all pricing references are based on the Prizm/Refractor parallels of an athlete’s Chrome rookie card, with prices from alt.xyz & 130pt.com.
Any odds mentioned were derived from DraftKings Sportsbook.