Upper Deck Announces Michael Jordan As First Legacy Partner
PublishedQuick Facts
- Michael Jordan extends partnership with trading card and memorabilia company Upper Deck
- Jordan becomes Upper Deck’s first “Legacy Partner”
- Since 1991, Upper Deck has been the only source for commercially available authentic Jordan autographed memorabilia
- The new agreement is a critical point for Topps, who recently signed LeBron James but are missing two legends in high demand in Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryan
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At an event inside Nike’s House of Innovation in New York, Upper Deck announced that they have extended its partnership with Michael Jordan. Upper Deck also named Jordan their first legacy partner, although they don’t specifically mention how this changes what is already a very successful business relationship. The agreement will include an array of new products, including signed trading card packs that might include his 1986-87 Fleer rookie card and memorabilia pieces like a signed Air Jordan 3 Fire Red retro from 2022.
Michael Jordan's History with Upper Deck
Michael Jordan and Upper Deck always felt like a couple that had been cohabitating for decades, with the assumption that this was going to be the final stop for both parties. Jordan has been an Upper Deck exclusive spokesman since 1991, highlighted by an iconic 1992 billboard in Chicago that simply read, “Trade Jordan.”
MJ's New Deal
To commemorate MJ becoming a Legacy Partner, Upper Deck dropped a new video, flipping the Trade Jordan campaign into something a little more family-oriented.
Upper Deck is the only place people can acquire authentic memorabilia signed by Jordan that doesn’t include stalking him at a NASCAR race, or in the case of Chamillionaire, being allegedly humiliated at a party. The partnership has been very critical to the company’s continued existence, as they lost the rights to produce trading cards for the NBA, NFL, and MLB in 2009 to rivals Panini and Topps. At one point, Upper Deck was the only place collectors could get signed cards of the three biggest names in the entire hobby across all sports: Jordan, LeBron James, and Kobe Bryant.
Upper Deck's Place in the Market
Since losing their NBA license, Upper Deck has been able to include Jordan in various trading card products without picturing him in a Chicago Bulls or Washington Wizards uniform, satisfying some of the demand while simultaneously strapping a rocket to the market for old cards of Jordan in NBA gear. With Jordan becoming a Legacy Partner, this ensures there won’t be any Topps trading cards featuring Jordan for a very long time, if not ever.
As the exclusive maker of official NBA trading cards, Topps currently has one of the Big 3 with LeBron James, a former Upper Deck-exclusive spokesman. Neither Upper Deck nor Topps has the rights to produce cards featuring Kobe, as he was a Panini-exclusive athlete right up until his tragic passing in 2020. The Bryant Estate has yet to license Kobe’s image to either Panini or a new company.
The 23 signed 1986-87 Fleer Basketball packs by Jordan, including the one that includes a “Rookie Pack” inscription, will be available via redemption cards randomly inserted in 2026 Goodwin Champions. Upper Deck will also be teaming with eBay to auction off a one-of-a-kind full box of 1986-87 Fleer Basketball signed by Jordan with a “Rookie Box” inscription. Ten percent of the proceeds from the sale will go to the Boys & Girls Club of America. The auction will begin on July 30 and end on August 9, with prequalifications beginning on July 8th.
From video game journalism to veteran of the sneaker blog era to podcasting about well, everything, Juan is smiling through it all and can't believe this is his life. After recently getting into Formula 1, he now has hot takes about who the greatest driver of all time is. Email: juan@soleretriever.com
