Kevin Durant Rookie Card Guide: 39 Cards Explored

Kevin Durant Rookie Card

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Last Updated On: September 6th, 2023

Before he was the Slim Reaper, Durantula, or Easy Money Sniper, Kevin Durant was just an uber-talented college hooper out of the University of Texas. 15 years later, and Durant is widely considered one of the best players in NBA history and one of the game’s most potent scoring forwards ever. 

All of that to say, Kevin Durant’s rookie card makes for a strong investment. 

To find the best product, look no further than this Kevin Durant rookie card collector guide, which covers the player’s career, a deep dive into both unsigned and signed Durant rookie cards, patch autos, and reveals the highest-selling Durant rookie cards to date. We’ve also compiled a checklist with recent values and search links.

Let’s dive in!  

Kevin Durant ‘s NBA Career

Draft Night

According to many scouts, the 2007 draft formally began at pick No. 3. That’s because two “can’t miss” prospects sat atop the rest: Ohio State’s Greg Oden and Texas’ Kevin Durant. And on draft night, that’s precisely how things shook out: Oden went first overall to the Portland Trailblazers and Durant heard his name called right after by the Seattle Supersonics. 

Draft day photo: Greg Oden (L) and Kevin Durant (R) were drafted No. 1 and 2, respectively, in the 2007 NBA Draft (Yahoo)
Greg Oden (L) and Kevin Durant (R) were drafted No. 1 and 2, respectively, in the 2007 NBA Draft (Yahoo)

Since that night, the two players have headed off in very different directions. Durant just earned his 13th All-Star appearance and Oden hasn’t played NBA basketball in nine years. 

But that’s not to say the now 34-year-old Durant’s career hasn’t been without bumps. He went to his first finals in 2012, before falling to LeBron James’ Miami Heat in five games.  

Despite coming up short, Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder (the Sonics left Seattle after his rookie season) appeared primed for a future replete with rings. By now, Durant wasn’t just an All-Star scorer who put up 32 points per night. He was also named the 2014 league MVP. 

Unfortunately, the Golden State Warriors had other plans for Durant and the Thunder’s rosy future; the Bay Area team built around Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green effectively blocked any other Western Conference team from the Finals from 2015 to 2021. Indeed, Durant’s Thunder fell to the Warriors in the Western Conference Finals in 2016. 

And in the sage (and cliche) words of any downtrodden athlete: if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. 

The next season, Durant left the Thunder for the Warriors, which now trotted out four All-Stars among its starting five. Durant’s move was much maligned at the time, with one broadcaster calling it “the weakest move” he’d ever seen from a star. 

After three years and winning two championships with the Warriors, Durant once again looked for browner hardwoods.

The Nets Years

Though he missed the entire 2019-20 season with an Achilles injury, the Brooklyn Nets agreed to sign him and Kyrie Irving that summer. The next season, Durant’s first on the court for Brooklyn, also saw the Nets add James Harden, yet another former MVP, from the Houston Rockets. Everything was set for the league’s heir apparent dynasty.  

And then things just got weird

With Durant as the de facto GM (he’d later demand the team’s actual GM Sean Marks be fired), he demanded that the Nets move on from head coach Steve Nash (a coach he’d encouraged the team hire after he also demanded that the team’s prior coach, Kenny Atkinson, also get fired) and also persuaded the Nets to trade young (and future All-Star) center Jarrett Allen for an aging DeAndre Jordan. 

Then, Irving refused to get the COVID-19 vaccine, leading to his ineligibility to play home games in New York and away games in California and Canada. Durant also missed time, appearing in just 90 games between the 2021 and ‘22 seasons. Harden eventually wanted out by year two, disillusioned by the chaotic team he’d joined just a season before. After two different trade requests, Durant was jettisoned to the Phoenix Suns and Irving was sent to the Dallas Mavericks before the 2023 trade deadline. 

After more knee and ankle problems, Durant played just eight regular season games for the Suns before a 4-2 conference semis loss to the eventual champion Denver Nuggets. 

Kevin Durant Rookie Card Overview

Obviously, Durant’s status as a multi-time champion and MVP winner put him in rarefied air among basketball players. As a result, the top-end Kevin Durant rookie cards are extremely valuable. And given the rise of basketball cards throughout the 21st century, companies were getting wise to the value behind putting hardwood heroes on cardstock. 

In total, there are around 32 different Kevin Durant rookie cards (not counting parallels), whose prices and availability span a wide spectrum. Some of the least expensive, most widely available graded Durant rookie cards go for as little as $20, while the higher-end, rarer versions sell for hundreds of thousands of dollars. 

What year did Kevin Durant’s Rookie Card Debut?

Kevin Durant’s rookie card debuted in 2007, ahead of his rookie year with the Supersonics. 

Kevin Durant Topps Rookie Cards

Kevin Durant’s Topps rookie card is the player’s best known and one of the most widely available among his rookie collection. But unlike the Topps cards of the 1980s, Durant’s Topps rookie cards feature several colorful (and by extension, valuable) variations. The more premium, Topps Chrome, is also a popular choice for collectors, along with the slightly more affordable Topps Finest cards which we will detail further.

Arguably, the most popular Kevin Durant rookie card is his 2007 Topps #2 (for those interested, #1 in this set is Greg Oden, the rookie set follows the draft order). PSA, for instance, has graded a total of 22,198 of the Durant #2 base cards, with around 3,100 (14%) receiving a PSA 10 grade. 

2007 Topps Kevin Durant Rookie Card #2 Base (white border) PSA 10
2007 Topps Kevin Durant Rookie Card #2 Base (white border) PSA 10

The card itself features a serious-looking Durant cradling a basketball, a flashy gold and green Sonics jersey draped over his slender frame. In addition to being Durant’s rookie card, it’s also sometimes referred to as the “Topps 50th Anniversary Card” as it was released 50 years after Topps first basketball set would debut in 1957. The card reflects this anniversary with the silver logo in the lower left. 

The base card comes in a few colors, including white, black, and a gold border version, the latter being numbered to 2007 copies. A PSA 10 grade recently sold for $230 for the white border and around $1,900 for the black border, per CardLadder. The Gold version, with only seven PSA 10s in existence, hasn’t hit the market since June, 2020, where it last sold for $2,275.

And finally, there’s the orange border. It’s a funky tone, with the yellow from Durant’s jersey clashing hard with the pumpkin-colored exterior. And it’s also a rare one: according to PSA, only 33 Gem Mint orange border cards exist. As a result, it’s not surprisbuing that a Gem Mint card sold last for $7,500 in September, 2022. That said, there are a few currently listed for $5,500 and $5,000 on the sports card platform MySlabs, so its value has come down quite a bit since last fall.

2007 Topps Kevin Durant Rookie Card #2 Orange Variation PSA 10
2007 Topps Kevin Durant Rookie Card #2 Orange Variation PSA 10

Topps didn’t stop there. On top of the #2 Topps rookie is a #112 1957-58 variation. Here, Durant is floating mid-dunk, with the card free of any shine or gloss – it quite literally looks like it was printed in a different era. The average price of a PSA 10 #112 variation is $150. A gold-border version of the card also exists; 2007 were printed and a PSA 10 Gem last sold for $2,972 in March, 2022. According to CardLadder’s estimated value, it’s possibly only worth a little over $800 if it sold today, almost 15 months later since the last time.

2007 Topps Kevin Durant Rookie Card #112 1957-58 Variation PSA 10
2007 Topps Kevin Durant Rookie Card #112 1957-58 Variation PSA 10

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Topps Chrome Rookie Card

For those looking for something a little rarer and a bit more expensive, the 2007 Topps Chrome #131 Kevin Durant rookie card might be for you. In this portrait, Durant is about to release the silky jumper that would become a trademark move. 

2007 Topps Chrome #131 Kevin Durant Rookie PSA 10
2007 Topps Chrome #131 Kevin Durant Rookie PSA 10

Durant’s Topps Chrome rookie was the latest installation in what by 2007 had become an extremely popular Chrome brand when it debuted during Kobe Bryant’s rookie season just the prior year.

Some of the game’s most valuable players have seen their Topps Chrome prices soar, including LeBron James, James Harden, and Stephen Curry. While Durant’s rookie might not quite be on Curry and LeBron’s level, it’s inarguably one of the top five or six basketball cards produced by the line.  

Durant’s base Chrome card has a Gem Mint pop count of 1,041 and carries a current price of $850. Other versions include the refractor numbered to /1499 (Gem Mint pop count: 193), the orange refractor numbered to /199 (Gem Mint pop count: 18), and white refractor numbered to /99 (Gem Mint pop count: 15). Even the PSA 9 versions of these refractor cards can fetch thousands of dollars, mainly due to the already limited print run and even more limited quality grading populations. 

2007 Topps Chrome #131 Kevin Durant White Refractor Rookie Numbered to /99 PSA 10 Gem Mint
2007 Topps Chrome #131 Kevin Durant White Refractor Rookie Numbered to /99 PSA 10

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Topps Finest Rookie Card

Durant’s Finest rookie card holds a special place in this guide. We highlighted 2007’s Finest #71 as a card we thought was too cheap before the card boom in 2020, only to see it triple in price, and actually a whole lot more. At its ultimate peak, the card (in PSA 10 Gem Mint Condition) was up 25x from 2018 prices, reaching over $1,600 — a price we’re certain we’ll never see again.

2007 Topps Finest #71 Kevin Durant Rookie Card PSA 10
2007 Topps Finest #71 Kevin Durant Rookie Card PSA 10

Currently the card goes for a little over $140 in PSA 10, with a population of over 777 gems recorded. It’s one of the more affordable Kevin Durant rookie cards in this guide, and also one of the few with KD in an action shot versus just holding a ball looking at the camera.

And speaking of holding the ball and looking at the camera, Kevin Durant also has an XRC in 2006 Topps Finest, the year prior to his SuperSonics debut. Card #102 is just a shade less valuable than the Topps Chrome rookie in PSA 10.

2006 Topps Finest Kevin Durant #102 XRC Green Refractor Numbered to /199 PSA 10
2006 Topps Finest Kevin Durant #102 XRC Green Refractor Numbered to /199 PSA 10


This card situates Durant in the middle of what can only be described as a monochromatic eye straight out of an Orwell book. A ball is wedged between his palm and thigh. A total of eight versions of this card were produced, including six refractors, an Xfractor, and a 1/1 white frame Xfractor. According to PSA, the most common version of the Topps Finest #112 is the base, which is numbered to just 539 copies, of which only 54 are graded PSA 10 Gem Mint.

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Kevin Durant Logoman Rookie Card: Most Rare Rookie

2007-08 Upper Deck Exquisite Collection Dual Logoman Autographs #DL-BD Kevin Durant/Kobe Bryant Dual-Signed Logoman Patch Card (#1/1)
2007-08 Upper Deck Exquisite Collection Dual Logoman Patch Autographs #DL-BD Kevin Durant/Kobe Bryant (#1/1) PSA Authentic

Generally speaking, when two all-time greats happen to grace the same card, its value tends to increase. When that card happens to also be one of the player’s rookie card, the value tends to go up. When that card features a logoman patch, the rarest patch available, the value tends to go up. When such a card is autographed…you get my drift. 

Take a deep breath before checking out this card (and trying to get its full name out there): 2007-08 Upper Deck Exquisite Collection Dual Logoman Autographs #DL-BD Kevin Durant/Kobe Bryant Dual-Signed Logoman Patch Card (#1/1). 

It’s a thing of beauty. It is aptly titled exquisite. And it is, as you might guess, expensive. In October 2022, this card sold for $726,000 making it one of the most expensive Kevin Durant rookie cards ever sold and capped off an eighteen-month run of Durant rookies selling for astronomical prices. But don’t worry – more on that to come. 

Similar Kevin Durant rookie cards with other stars are also floating around, though none with a player quite near Kobe Bryant’s stature, and the following two logoman cards are not autographed: A BGS 8.5 NM-MT+ with Durant, Brandon Roy, and Chris Paul sold for $118,000 in 2021, while another showcasing rookies Durant, Al Horford, and Mike Conley went for $50,000 in February 2022, at Goldin Auctions. 

2007 Upper Deck Exquisite Collection Logoman Triples (Durant, Horford, Conley) BGS 8
2007 Upper Deck Exquisite Collection Logoman Triples (Durant, Horford, Conley) BGS 8

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Additional Brands and Sets with Kevin Durant Rookie Cards

While Topps might be the biggest player in the Durant rookie card market, it is hardly the only. Fleeer, Upper Deck, and Bowman – all traditionally associated with baseball – also produced several Durant rookie cards. 

Upper Deck Rookie Card

In 2007, Upper Deck produced a slew of Durant rookie cards. The first, and most common, was the #11 Rookie Box Set, which has a Gem Mint pop count over 900 and average price of $95 according to CardLadder.

It also printed the #DC6, the DC standing for Dodge Charger, so named because the original packs actually came with a toy car. The PSA 10 pop count for a Dodge Charger Kevin Durant rookie card is 314, which sells for $89 on average.  

2007 Upper Deck Kevin Durant #DC6 PSA 10
2007 Upper Deck Kevin Durant #DC6 PSA 10

But the most valuable of the Upper Deck Durant line is the Star Rookie collection, which comes in a base and an Electric Court Gold parallel. Despite a Gem Mint pop count of just 18 of 76 total graded by PSA, the Electric Court Gold last sold on eBay for only $294 in February, 2023.

2007 Upper Deck Kevin Durant Electric Gold Rookie Card #234 PSA 10
2007 Upper Deck Kevin Durant Electric Gold Rookie Card #234 PSA 10

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Fleer Rookie Card

After Topps, Durant’s 2007 Fleer set is probably the second-most popular among his rookie collection. In addition to a base, Fleer produced two throwback variations (similar as Topps did with the 1957-58 variation). 

Even the base, though, has a bit of a throwback feel to it. Against a beige, green, and white border that matches Durant’s Sonics jersey a tad better than the orange Topps variation, versions of this card are widely available. With a Gem Mint pop count of 363, the base can be had for $160. There is also a “glossy” parallel, which is much rarer, with only 17 PSA 10 in the pop report.

2007 Fleer Kevin Durant #212 Base Rookie Card PSA 10
2007 Fleer Kevin Durant #212 Base Rookie Card PSA 10

But the ‘86 Retro Rookies collection was a direct callback to the iconic line of Fleer cards that included Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, and Dominique Wilkins as rookies. Durant’s #143 Retro Rookies came in its own base version and a glossy type as well, the latter of which only has a Gem Mint pop count of eight (!) and last sold for $630 in March, 2023.

2007 Fleer Kevin Durant 86 Retro Rookies Glossy #143 PSA 10
2007 Fleer Kevin Durant 86 Retro Rookies Glossy #143 PSA 10

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Fleer Ultra Rookie Card

When searching for the right addition to a collection, it helps to know the lingo associated with a particular card. And while yes, technically, there is a Kevin Durant rookie card under the Fleer Ultra Rookie collection, it’s sort of like looking for a Henry Aaron rookie card. 

That’s because Durant’s #232 Fleer Ultra goes by another name: Lucky 13. 

2007 Fleer Ultra Kevin Durant Lucky 13 #232 PSA 10
2007 Fleer Ultra Kevin Durant Lucky 13 #232 PSA 10

That moniker comes from the medallion that graces the bottom border of this card. And the medallion’s look directly determines the card’s parallel variation. Here are the most recent Gem Mint Lucky 13 PSA sales by variation: 

Parallel Version in PSA 10Sale PriceSale Date
Retail$225December, 2022
Base$160April, 2023
Gold Medallion$480.75May, 2023
Platinum Medallion (#’d to 25)$3,300February, 2023
Source CardLadder
2007 Ultra Kevin Durant Platinum Medallion #232 Rookie Card Numbered to 25 PSA 10 Gem Mint
2007 Ultra Kevin Durant Platinum Medallion #232 Rookie Card Numbered to 25 PSA 10 Gem Mint

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Bowman Chrome Rookie Card

Bowman, another brand closely associated with baseball rookies, also has a set of fairly valuable and limited Durant rookie cards. That includes the Bowman Chrome #111 and its refractor variations. It features a youthful Durant looking over his left shoulder, basketball in hand. 

2007 Bowman Chrome #111 Kevin Durant Rookie Card /2999 PSA 10 Gem Mint
2007 Bowman Chrome #111 Kevin Durant Rookie Card Base PSA 10

The base, numbered to /2999, is worth around $460 in Gem Mint condition with 116 PSA 10 copies currently graded. 

And the prices only escalate beyond the base card. The Refractor, numbered to /299, is worth around $1,500 as a PSA 10. And from there, it’s hard to get an average price, simply because so few come available on the market. His Black Refractor (/199) last sold for $5,100, the Gold Refractor (/99) went most recently for $13,800, and the Xfractor (/50) garnered $55,200 in its most recent sale, February, 2022.

2007 Bowman Chrome #111 Kevin Durant Gold Refractor Rookie Card /99 PSA 10 Gem Mint
2007 Bowman Chrome #111 Kevin Durant Gold Refractor Rookie Card Numbered to 99 PSA 10

Of the 50 Xfractor cards printed, only ten have earned a PSA 9 grade or better. 

2007 Bowman Chrome Kevin Durant Rookie Card #111 Xfractor Numbered to 50 PSA 10
2007 Bowman Chrome Kevin Durant Rookie Card #111 Xfractor Numbered to 50 PSA 10

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Other Kevin Durant Rookie Cards

There are a few more cards from various brands worth mentioning before heading into the next section. Durant’s 2007 SP Rookie Edition #61, one of the lesser valued cards, features the rookie bursting through the card, eyes focused on the ball. In the same set there is card #106 which features Durant on draft day.

2007 Upper Deck SP Rookie Edition Kevin Durant Rookie Card #106 PSA 10
2007 Upper Deck SP Rookie Edition Kevin Durant Rookie Card #106 PSA 10

Finally, his Bowman Sterling #KD gets a shout for its slick chromium finish. In theory, the design might mean higher value. Unfortunately, the Sterling brand simply hasn’t retained value for Bowman the same of, say, Bowman Chrome. As a result, these cards tend to be a less expensive (and less valuable) alternative to the Chrome line.

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Kevin Durant Signed Rookie Cards

With the unsigned cards taken care of, we can move up the next rung in any collectors ladder: signed rookie cards. Rather than a full signature, Durant keeps things simple, opting for a scrawled “KD” that features on any cards with his autograph. 

Upper Deck Exquisite Collection RPA: Best Signed Rookie

Sure, signed cards are nice and all, but the holy grail is what’s known as an “RPA” card, which stands for rookie patch auto. Essentially, RPA cards combine the very best features a card could have: it is a rookie card, it is signed (“auto” means autographed), and it contains a piece of jersey (otherwise known as a “patch”). 

While many factors go into these cards’ values (the number of colors on the patch, for instance), these cards tend to be extremely rare and, as a result, highly sought after. 

Arguably, the most sought after RPA Kevin Durant rookie card is his 2007 Upper Deck Exquisite Collection #94. 

2007 Upper Deck Exquisite Collection Kevin Durant Rookie Card #94 Signed Jersey Patch Auto RPA PSA 9
2007 Upper Deck Exquisite Collection Kevin Durant Rookie Card #94 Signed Jersey Patch Auto RPA PSA 9

While there are several variations of this card (some are horizontal, others vertical), the “true” RPA is considered to be horizontal and numbered to /99. Only 10 of these cards have ever been graded by PSA, with just one earning a Gem Mint grade. 

The most recent sale for one of these cards was in June 2023, when a card with a BGS 8.5 grade sold for $22,532 via Goldin Auctions. Another #94, this one with a BGS 9 grade, sold for $45,600 in April, 2023, at PWCC. 

The card is a true masterpiece and, unlike standard, non-RPA rookie cards, is likely to retain its value over time. These “hat trick” cards are the ones that still go for hundreds of thousands of dollars (even millions) today. 

Does it matter that Durant probably never wore the jersey associated with the patch in that card? No. 

While cards originally guaranteed that a patch was “game-used,” the language began shifting in the 2000s to be “event-used.” This could mean, quite literally, that Durant simply slipped the jersey containing that patch on only to take it right back off again and send off to the shredder to be cut down into card parts. 

Back of 2007 Upper Deck Exquisite Collection Kevin Durant Rookie Card #94 Signed Jersey Patch Auto RPA PSA 9
Back of 2007 Upper Deck Exquisite Collection Kevin Durant Rookie Card #94 Signed Jersey Patch Auto RPA

But now, the language has evolved such that the patches today come with a warning that it is “not associated with any specific player, game or event.” 

Once upon a time, this might have been a major issue. But part of the RPA’s value is its aesthetic quality; adding a colorful patch, regardless of its history, ensures that fact. Plus, the patch’s value is so baked into the hobby that, at this point, the difference between “game-worn,” “event-worn,” and “never worn” is almost null. 

Oh, and before we move on from the Exquisite Collection. Remember that Kobe-Durant logoman RPA from earlier? There’s another flashy Durant RPA featuring one of his contemporaries: LeBron James (numbered /5), with the patch cut in such a way that it spells “KD” and “LJ.”

2007 Exquisite Collection Jerseys Dual Autograph LeBron James / Kevin Durant #EDJD 5/5 BGS 8
2007 Exquisite Collection Jerseys Dual Autograph LeBron James / Kevin Durant #EDJD 5/5 BGS 8

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SP Authentic Rookie Patch Autograph

Next up on our Durant RPA journey is his 2007 SP Authentic #152 numbered to /299. PSA has graded around twice as many of these (21) as they have the Exquisite Collection (10), and only nine have a NM Mint grade or higher.

2007 SP Authentic Kevin Durant Rookie Card #152 Signed Jersey Patch Auto RPA PSA 10
2007 SP Authentic Kevin Durant Rookie Card #152 Signed Jersey Patch Auto RPA PSA 9

The gold backing on this card really makes it pop, especially combined with Durant’s own gold and green jersey. The cursive “rookie” in the background further adds to the card’s luxury feel. 

In May, a PSA 10 card sold for $16,000. For those looking for a slightly less expensive alternative, a variation of the card that’s signed but doesn’t come with a patch sold for $4,051 in May 2023.

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Upper Deck SPx Rookie Patch Autograph

The last individual RPA we’ll spend some time covering in detail is Durant’s 2007 Upper Deck SPx #101. This card actually comes in three different styles: “Radiance,” “Spectrum,” and a base that is numbered /299. 

There are only four total of those “Radiance” and “Spectrum” variations that have been graded by PSA, compared to 31 of the base cards. Of those 31, only five (16%) have a Gem Mint grade. 

2007 Upper Deck SPx Kevin Durant Rookie Card RPA #101 BGS 9 Auto 10
2007 Upper Deck SPx Kevin Durant Rookie Card RPA #101 BGS 9 Auto 10

And even at a poor grade, the base /299 card can carry some value. For instance, a recent eBay Auction sold a PSA 7 for $435 in May, 2023.

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Other Kevin Durant Signed Rookie Cards

Finally, we should touch on a few of the other Durant signed rookies floating around, including the 2007 Fleer Hot Prospects #123. Numbered to /399, this card sold most recently for $2,640 as a PSA 10, of which there are eight total. For those hoping for an even more exclusive (and frankly just plain cool-looking) parallel, the Hot Prospects card comes in red, with only /25 total printed.

2007 Fleer Hot Prospects Kevin Durant Rookie Card #123 Autograph Patch RPA PSA 10
2007 Fleer Hot Prospects Kevin Durant Rookie Card #123 Autograph Patch RPA PSA 10

There’s also an Upper Deck Sweet Shot Acetate numbered to /25 that doesn’t feature a patch, but does come with Durant’s signature against a clear-looking card. A PSA 8 sold for $344 back in 2020.  

2007 Upper Deck Sweet Shot Kevin Durant Rookie Card Auto #SA-KD Signature Shots Acetate PSA 8
2007 Upper Deck Sweet Shot Kevin Durant Rookie Card Auto #SA-KD Signature Shots Acetate PSA 8

Durant’s SPx Super Scripts also gets a shoutout here, though like the Sweet Shot, doesn’t come with a patch. But there’s something slick about this card, with Durant crawling through the card, which looks fairly well color-matched to his gold and green jersey. With 110 total cards coming through PSA, 60 have earned a Gem Mint grade, making it one of the less rare PSA 10s of this stature.

2007 SPx Super Scripts Kevin Durant Rookie Card Auto #SS-KD PSA 10
2007 SPx Super Scripts Kevin Durant Rookie Card Auto #SS-KD PSA 10

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Factors Affecting Kevin Durant Rookie Card Values

Like almost anything, the value of Durant’s rookie card will depend on his performance on the court. But barring some catastrophic and unforeseen issue, the higher-end cards should hold their value extremely well. After all, he is a two-time champion and MVP; anything added at this point is gravy. 

Other factors are largely card-specific. For instance, if one is looking for a card with a patch, the most valuable ones will be those featuring the “logoman,” i.e. the NBA logo in patch form. Next up are those with multiple colors, ideally all of the greens, yellows, blacks, and whites of the Sonics uniform. 

Of course, Durant’s eventual retirement and Hall of Fame enshrinement will also boost his rookie card’s value, at least temporarily.

Performance and Seasonality

While it might be nice if Durant would win another title, it’s far from guaranteed. As noted at the start, Durant has dealt with several significant injuries recently; he’s missed dozens of games since sitting out all of 2020 rehabbing from his Achilles rupture. 

And each injury hit will likely temporarily cause a hit to his card’s value, especially the lower-tier and ungraded cards. 

But on the other hand, if Durant did make another Finals run, his card’s value would almost certainly see a temporary boost in value. Ditto if he went on an impressive run to start or finish a regular season. If it’s good attention he’s receiving for play on the court, chances are it will only help his card’s value. Even Anthony Edwards saw a nice boost in his cards’ prices with a strong playoff showing.

Legacy

Kevin Durant’s legacy is far from open and close. His move to Golden State was panned at best and condemned at worst. He continued standing behind Kyrie Irving with the Nets even when Irving’s voluntary absences sent the team spiraling. 

And then there’s 2017’s Burner saga, in which Durant was caught calling out critics on Twitter using fake profiles. It’s been a shocking downfall for a player who was once widely beloved after tearing up and thanking his mother profusely at his 2014 MVP ceremony.

Without a crystal ball handy, it’s impossible to say for sure how the public will remember this part of Durant’s legacy, if at all. But one thing they absolutely will remember is Durant’s on-court prowess and his lights-out shooting when it mattered most. While the Burner saga might engender an “oh yeah, forgot about that” sometime down the road, his status as an all-timer will never slip from anyone’s mind. 

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Scarcity and Condition

The reason many of Durant’s higher-end cards (his RPAs, for instance) hold their value is because of scarcity. Those cards are numbered, with the parallels declining in number with each successive variation. 

It’s also not uncommon to see more rates of higher-graded Durant cards. By the time Durant came along, card collectors got savvy to the fact that some cards simply weren’t worth sending in for grading. As a result, most cards submitted (especially like those during the COVID card boom) already had a high floor, likely no worse than a 7 or 8. And given Durant’s stature, collectors with a chance to land a 9 or 10 likely submitted their cards for grading, also increasing the population of high-graded Durant cards. 

Most Expensive Kevin Durant Rookie Card Sales

Unsurprisingly, lists of the most expensive Kevin Durant rookie card sales usually include several versions of the 2007 Exquisite Collection #94, which routinely sell for hundreds of thousands of dollars. But here at OnlyGreats, we believe in mixing things up. 

  1. The most expensive Kevin Durant rookie card sale on record came on March 6, 2021. Goldin Auctions sold an Upper Deck Exquisite Collection Rookie Card Parallel #94 Patch Autographs 23/35 with a BGS 9 grade for $799,500. 
  2. Also in the six-digits was a sale by Goldin Auctions for the 2007 Topps Chrome White Refractor #131 84/99, a Gem Mint PSA 10 which sold for $288,000 in March, 2021.
  3. Next up is (another) Exquisite Collection card. But this one is KD’s Limited Logos numbered /50 that went for $102,000 at PWCC in January, 2022, graded a BGS 9 Mint. 
  4.  Moving on down to the five-digits was a 2007 Topps Chrome #131 Orange Refractor 1/199 in a PSA Gem Mint 10 sale by Heritage Auctions for $63,000, in July, 2021.
  5. Going for slightly less, at $55,000, was a Bowman Chrome Xfractor in February 2022 graded at PSA 10.

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The following KD rookie cards have been covered in this post, including refractor parallels and other variants. The value posted next to each is the most recent sale we could find in PSA 10, unless otherwise noted. Keep in mind ungraded or lower-grade cards will be more affordable than the prices shown (good news, right?). The search links in the right column will open to eBay searches for the card referenced, or if the search is too thin (e.g. a rare Xfractor) it will pull-up results for any of the refractors for the same card.

Rookie Card DescriptionRecent Value (PSA 10 unless noted)Quick Search
2007 Topps #2 White Border Base RC $230Search eBay
2007 Topps #2 Black Border RC$1,895Search eBay
2007 Topps #2 Orange Border RC$7,500Search eBay
2007 Topps #112 Gold Parallel RC /2007$2,275Search eBay
2007 Topps #112 1957-58 Variation RC$129Search eBay
2007 Topps #112 1957-58 Variation Gold RC /2007$2,972Search eBay
2007 Topps Chrome #131 Base RC$810Search eBay
2007 Topps Chrome #131 Refractor RC /1499$4,900Search eBay
2007 Topps Chrome #131 White Refractor RC /99$43,200Search eBay
2007 Topps Finest #71 Base RC$144Search eBay
2006 Topps Finest #102 Base XRC /539$701Search eBay
2006 Topps Finest #102 Green Refractor XRC /199$810Search eBay
2007 Upper Deck Rookie Box Set #11 RC$120Search eBay
2007 Upper Deck #DC6 RC$82Search eBay
2007 Upper Deck Star Rookie #234 Base RC$128Search eBay
2007 Upper Deck Star Rookie #234 Electric Gold Parallel RC$294Search eBay
2007 Fleer #212 Base RC$140Search eBay
2007 Fleer #212 Glossy Parallel RC$675Search eBay
2007 Fleer 86 Retro Rookies #143 RC$382Search eBay
2007 Fleer 86 Retro Rookies Glossy Parallel #143 RC$630Search eBay
2007 Fleer Ultra Lucky 13 #232 Base RC$160Search eBay
2007 Fleer Ultra Lucky 13 #232 Base Retail RC$225Search eBay
2007 Fleer Ultra Lucky 13 #232 Gold Medallion Parallel RC$481Search eBay
2007 Fleer Ultra Lucky 13 #232 Platinum Medallion Parallel RC /25$3,300Search eBay
2007 Bowman Chrome #111 Base RC /2999$462Search eBay
2007 Bowman Chrome #111 Refractor RC /299$1,504Search eBay
2007 Bowman Chrome #111 Black Refractor RC /199$5,100Search eBay
2007 Bowman Chrome #111 Gold Refractor RC /99$13,800Search eBay
2007 Bowman Chrome #111 Xfractor RC /50$55,200Search eBay
2007 SP Rookie Edition #61 Base RC$125Search eBay
2007 SP Rookie Edition #106 (Draft Day) RC$200Search eBay
2007 Bowman Sterling #KD Base RC$138Search eBay
2007 Upper Deck Exquisite Collection Rookie Patch Auto #94 RC /99$22,532 (BGS 8.5)Search eBay
2007 SP Authentic Rookie Patch Auto #152 RC /299$16,000Search eBay
2007 Upper Deck SPx Rookie Patch Auto #101 RC /299$435 (PSA 7)Search eBay
2007 Upper Deck SPx Super Scripts Auto #SS-KD$1,600Search eBay
2007 Fleer Hot Prospects Rookie Patch Auto #123 RC /399$2,640Search eBay
2007 Fleer Hot Prospects Rookie Patch Auto Red Parallel #123 RC /25$3,120 (BGS 6)Search eBay
2007 Upper Deck Sweet Shot Signature Shots Acetate #SA-KD RC /25$344 (PSA 8)Search eBay

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Conclusion

Kevin Durant’s status on the court has only boosted his rookie cards’ value, and cemented his collectability. As he enters the final phase of his career, his lower-end rookie cards should remain attainable for most collectors, while the higher-end RPA and signed cards will appreciate or at least retain their value. 

Either way, adding one of the game’s best scorers of all time, a first-ballot Hall of Famer, and multi-time champion is never a bad idea (even if his tenure as a GM leaves much to be desired). 

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