Collector Nation - The Smartest Cards to Buy During the NBA Finals

Episode Date: June 12, 2026

Ryan Alford, Brian Ludden, and Bella Shafer are back with a fast-moving Collector Nation episode focused on what is actually happening in the hobby right now. They talk through Brunson’s Finals-fueled card surge, why Wemby and Castle still matter long term, and how playoff narratives are shaping collector behavior in real time. They also get into the Fanatics lawsuit news, what Topps Chrome VeeFriends is showing about brand power, and why Pokémon demand is still outpacing what many sports-first collectors expect. Brian adds the data angle through Ludex, Ryan brings what he is seeing inside Collector Station, and Bella helps keep the episode centered on the headlines collectors are actually reacting to. The result is a strong snapshot of a market that feels more blended than ever, where sports, TCG, sealed wax, search behavior, and technology are all shaping value at the same time. If you want a grounded look at what is hot now and what might matter next, this one delivers. Topics Covered Brunson’s playoff card spike Why Wemby and Castle still matter Fanatics legal developments Topps Chrome VeeFriends demand Pokémon vs. sports card demand Scan trends and what Ludex is seeing Search behavior inside Collector Station What collectors should actually be paying attention to Links Collector Nation https://www.collectibles.show/ https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/collector-nation/id1832831782 Ryan Alford https://www.ryanalford.com/ https://www.instagram.com/ryanalford/ Brian Ludden / Ludex https://www.ludex.com/ https://app.ludex.com/ https://www.instagram.com/ludexapp/ Bella Shafer https://www.instagram.com/isabellashafer/

The one thing that matters as it relates to trading cards is no matter what, there's one player you should buy, and if you bought, you would have probably 10 extra money. And that would be Mr. Jalen Brunson. His cards have gone through the roof. March, his PSA 10s were selling for like $100, and at the end of May, they were selling for $350, $350. They're over $1,000. Yeah. They're over $1,000 now. I even saw today on Facebook, people are trying to get them on the secondary market already just to have them.

These playoffs have to be $7.000 for excitement. It has to be $7. And NBA does it well, NHL does it well. Baseball does not do it well. Logo Man Redemption sold for over $1 million. Crazy. Headmind news is great for the industry. It's great for all of us.

We're all helping each other build the hobby. It won't build itself, so got uplift to everyone. Welcome to the Collector Nation podcast here on the Collector Nation Network. Whether you're chasing grails or calling bluffs, you take you inside a hobby. Here are your hosts, Ryan Alford and Brian Lut. What's up guys? Welcome to Collector Nation here on the Collector Nation Network. Joined by Bella, Brian.

And you've always got Ryan here. We got the BRB all in the house. Brian's got, hey, he looks powerful today. He looks like a CEO. Like, I don't know if you're at the desk, Brian, but it's like LuddX and Jordan above it. It's like the Oval Office. I like that's cards. Exactly. The Lutex Oval Office.

The worst dress or square. The old t-shirt, you know, keep it real. Yes. Hey, I had a teacher on. I threw this polo on. So if you're watching, if you're listening, you should be watching. If you're watching, you should be listening. And I put a polo on just for everyone. You know, just to look spiffy today. You know, this felt underdress with my t-shirt. But I usually wear t-shirts. It's the joy of self-employment and ownership, I guess. But we appreciate where you are, wherever you are, whenever you are. You know, it's whenever they are.

We don't ever know when they're listening. This could be someone 10 years from now catching this episode. That's what's weird about content. You never know when they're going to see it. Like, it's here and now for us right now. Like this moment I'm talking is now. Yeah, we're in infamy now. Yeah.

So anyway. When the aliens take over, the, the, They'll see this. Everybody's like, set the hell up. Just get some sports car talk. Yeah, we're not AI generated. No, AI. This is real.

Yeah, AI cannot stumble, fumble, mumble, and, you know, dance their way around this. I will say, I was excited that we might have a series again in the finals. It's been a dramatic and interesting series. I'll say this. Number one, and, you know, we're going to be changing the fourth. format a little bit of the show, getting a little more structure that we move along, integrate some things with Luddex, some other things we're doing. Anyway, coming down the road. And part of that's going to be like transparency of like where we were right and where we were wrong. Yeah.

This series is ridiculous. I mean, I look forward to it every night that it comes on. And it's high level basketball. And it's a lot of threes, but there's a lot of non-threes too. I mean, there's a lot of like intricate stuff going on. And if you really pay attention, when we just, I mean, he controls the game on both sides of the floor. Like the dude, if he,

I mean, he's a baby, you know, like we talked about. I mean, it's unbelievable. New York better get him now. That's all I'm going to say.

His reach, like just, like, he doesn't even have to do anything and he can block a ball. Like, it's just like crazy. He's so lengthy in just any direction. I like New York's team way more than I thought I did.

I'll tell you. that. And I was kind of hoping the Spurs would win. But I've got some new respect for New York. Their team as a whole. Even Carl Anthony Towns, who I've beat up on more than I'd like to admit, not personally, but just like, you know, watching his game right now, I'm like, man, why is that guy seven-footers shooting three threes? And, you know, he's super talented. But he's stepped up defensively. They've all stepped up. It's just been a really good series. Harper's a freak, too. I mean, he's a rookie. And, I mean, I mean, he's a rookie. And, I mean, I don't know how, whoever's been scouting, like, get that guy a big fat race.

Every player they've drafted the last couple years looks great. I mean, New York has enough going on. I mean, people love New York. If you want to, I'm rooting for San Antonio because I have no allegiance to any team. But the city of San Antonio, it would mean a lot more for them. And I don't think they'll like cars on fire, what New York will. See, New York's going to like cars. on fire regardless. Yeah, because they're happy or sad. It's the weirdest thing. Yeah.