Happy Hobby Sports Cards Podcast · David Gonos

🎙️Ranking the Best 2025 NBA & WNBA Rookie Cards! - Ep. 2.43

·32 min·2 clips

Page Beckers led the rookie class with 19.2 points, 5.4 assists, and 1.6 steals per game.

David Gunnison opens with a full-on 2025 basketball rookie card palooza. He frames the whole discussion around collectors working with limited budgets. That budget lens shapes how he talks about each card. The goal, as he puts it, is to improve the collection without wrecking the wallet. The first half of the episode focuses on men's rookie cards from 2025 Topps Basketball. He says he will cover the top 11 men's cards in that set. He also points back to recent pack openings, including a jumbo box and two blasters. From there, he starts sorting players by what they might mean in the hobby. The talk moves through upside, expected minutes, and market comparisons. Some players are treated as stronger high-floor values because they should see minutes right away. Others come off as higher-upside but tougher to trust. Walter Clayton Jr. gets a long look as a guard with deep shooting, attack ability, and a national-championship résumé. Gunnison keeps the Steph Curry comparisons in check while still calling Clayton fun to watch. Neek Clifford comes across as a high-floor, lower-ceiling rookie who should see a lot of run in Phoenix. Igor Damin is presented as a young, intriguing guard with talent and some path-to-minutes questions. The episode then shifts into the WNBA side of the rookie-card market. Gunnison says he is covering seven of the top cards there, plus a few bonuses. He keeps the same collector-first lens on that group. Listeners hear who has value, who might be cheap, and who could matter if playing time comes fast. The pacing stays brisk and loose, with little side comments and self-corrections keeping it conversational. He treats rookies as hobby assets, but never loses the fan-view of whether they are actually fun to watch. The final stretch gets more interactive. He asks listeners to weigh in on who he missed among the men. He also asks whether certain names deserve more attention than he gave them. The episode closes with the usual friendly call for comments and feedback. It feels like a collector talking through a sorting session rather than delivering a polished market lecture.

As heard by us

A budget-minded rookie-card rundown with practical collector value.

This episode keeps things practical: it walks through 2025 basketball rookie cards with a clear budget lens, splitting attention between Topps Basketball for NBA rookies and 2025 Donruss for WNBA rookies.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

You want rookie-card targets without spending like a completist.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

Listen to the show on

Apple Podcasts Spotify

Play clips from this episode More from Happy Hobby Sports Cards Podcast