There are only a handful of athletes who have broken the million-dollar mark in the sports cards industry. The Dallas Mavericks' Luka Doncic, of course, is the guy featured in the most expensive modern card with his 2018 Panini National Treasures Rookie Logoman auto, which sold for $4.6 million more than a year ago. But after being compared to Tom Brady and his rookie stock in the market, the All-Star responded from a place of humility.
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In a video shared by Find Your Trove on Instagram, a reporter interviewed Doncic during the recent All-Star Game in Cleveland. The said journalist started by telling the Mavs' franchise player how similar he is to Brady. She said that both athletes are very skilled and have expensive rookie cards.
After that comparison, she said that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' star has multiple rings while Doncic hasn't gotten one, and the latter's rookie card sold for $4.6 million dollars against Brady's $1.32 million. The reporter finished her line of thought by asking the All-Star if these details make him the GOAT.
Doncic, for his part, humbly said he was very far from the legendary quarterback. The All-Star then added that he was surprised with how much his rookie card went for.
“$4.6 [million] is a lot of money. You can buy a lot of things from that. But I was really surprised. I really appreciate it. There are just a lot of things going on. I almost don't get the time to appreciate everything. Playing in the NBA, I just don't have the time to appreciate what's happening,” Doncic said.
Setting the record straight on Doncic's and Brady's rookie cards
As humbling as Doncic's response is, there are several things the reporter got wrong when it comes to both his and Brady's rookie cards. As mentioned by Find Your Trove on their Instagram post, it was unfair to compare both athletes just by the value of their cards. For starters, Doncic's is a One of One Rookie Logoman auto from Panini's high-end National Treasures set. On the other hand, Brady's 2000 Playoff Contenders Championship Ticket rookie auto has a print run of 100 copies and comes from a lower-tier product.
Another detail that the reporter got wrong is that Brady's $1.32 million rookie card isn't the most expensive at all. That particular offering was sold in March of 2021. A couple of months later, another copy sold for $3.1 million dollars via Lelands Auctions.
As mentioned on the IG post, it could have been a fair fight if Brady had a One of One Rookie Logoman auto to match against that of Doncic's. The comparison between a high-end card that's the only one of its kind in existence against a Tom Brady rookie auto with more copies and comes from an entry-level product isn't really fair.
The verdict on these Luka Doncic and Tom Brady rookie cards
For starters, it can't be denied that Doncic is one of the best players in the NBA. But the fact of the matter here is that his cards are going big because of what he can potentially do down the line, and not what he has actually accomplished.
Brady, on the other hand, is undoubtedly the GOAt of American football. With multiple rings, numerous awards, and countless records broken, Doncic's current resume pales when compared to the Buccaneers' QB. If all things were judged from a fairer perspective, Brady would come out on top of this one. Nevertheless, no one really loses because the hobby itself wins in the end.
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