From 1992 to 1996, the Fleer Ultra Basketball base set checklist was alphabetically organized by team, then by player, leaving Stacey Augmon or Mookie Blaylock of the Atlanta Hawks as uninspiring first cards in each of those sets. In 1997, Ultra moved away from that model, instead opting for a high-flying teenage sensation to kick off the checklist.
Kobe Bryant was the Slam Dunk contest champion during the previous season’s All-Star weekend, and Fleer/SkyBox paid homage to that accomplishment by using a photo of Bryant suspended in midair on his 1997-98 Ultra card. This condition-sensitive /100 Platinum Medallion parallel ranks as one of the legend's rarest parallels from early in his career. Bryant has just 15 non-1/1 parallels from 1997 that are numbered to /100 or fewer. This came after no such cards were released during his rookie year.
Take the popularity of Ultra's Platinum Medallion, its rarity, Bryant's iconic status and the stunning photo choice and this is a recipe for creating one of the most memorable basketball cards of its time.
Just three copies in the BGS registry have highers grades than this Mint 9.
The certification number on this card has been checked against the third-party grader's online database and is active as of 05/01/2026.
