Eleven consecutive wins. A string of dominant blowouts. For the first time in 53 years, the New York Knicks are just four wins away from an NBA championship, and the entire city is at a boiling point.
But the mania isn’t just contained to the hardwood at Madison Square Garden. When massive, legacy-defining moments happen on the court, they trigger a massive secondary market reaction. According to new data released by eBay, the Knicks’ historic postseason run has sent Knicks basketball cards and memorabilia into the stratosphere.
The Jalen Brunson Effect
No one embodies this gritty, dominant New York run more than Jalen Brunson. The Knicks captain, and last 2025’s clutch player of the year, has officially transcended standard stardom.
On May 26, the day after the Knicks officially clinched the Eastern Conference Finals, “Jalen Brunson” was searched more than 1,500 times per hour globally on eBay.
While Brunson is leading the charge, the true story of this Knicks run has been their sheer depth and tough, cohesive play. That balanced dominance has caused search spikes for nearly every key piece of the roster. Comparing search data from the week leading up to Game 1 of the ECF (May 12–18) against the previous week’s baseline, the hobby’s obsession with New York is obvious:
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Landry Shamet: up over 1,700%
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New York Knicks (Team Gear/Cards): up over 440%
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Jalen Brunson: up over 360%
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Josh Hart: up over 260%
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Mikal Bridges: up over 230%
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Karl-Anthony Towns: up over 200%
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OG Anunoby: up over 160%
Wemby’s Historic Performance
While New York owns the Eastern narrative, San Antonio’s phenom is generating Shohei Ohtani level hype.
On May 18, Victor Wembanyama became just the fourth player since 2000 to record a monstrous 40-point, 20-rebound playoff game. The historic masterpiece against the Oklahoma City Thunder sent shockwaves through the collecting community. On the night of the performance, global eBay users searched for Wembanyama more than 5,300 times per hour.
The following day (May 19), the scramble to secure his cards intensified, with specific searches for “Victor Wembanyama cards” surging over 300% compared to his mid-May baseline.
Sellers are moving quickly to cash in on the generational hype, too. Total eBay listings for Wembanyama items increased 40% in April 2026 compared to the opening weeks of the NBA season back in October 2025.
Capitalizing on the Moment
The hobby acceleration isn’t just happening on the secondary market, either, the manufacturers are already finding historic ways to capitalize on the upcoming Finals momentum.
Fanatics and Topps announced a massive, first-of-its-kind integration for the 2026 NBA Finals. As part of the league’s season-long celebration of America’s 250th anniversary, every single player taking the court during the Finals will wear a USA 250 patch on their jersey. These patches will be physically removed from the jerseys after each game. Select game-worn patches will then be embedded directly inside ultra-rare Topps trading cards.
It’s a brilliant play that perfectly aligns with the modern market’s obsession with scarcity and game-worn history. Instead of waiting months for products to catch up to the hype, collectors are being given a direct narrative link to the exact games crowning this year’s champion.
The Takeaway
As the NBA Finals approach and the NBA Draft looms, the modern sports card market continues to act as a real-time ledger for fan attention. In 2026, the equation is simple: if you win on the court in May and June, you win the hobby.
Who are you collecting ahead of the NBA Finals? Let us know on Mantel.
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