1997-98 SPx Basketball was released on the heels of the 1997 NBA playoffs, months after Kobe Bryant wrapped up his rookie season. As stated on the back of his card #21, the Lakers youngster had shown flashes of All-Star potential in that debut campaign. Those flashes, of course, ignited a full-blown Hall of Fame career, with Mamba becoming one of the most beloved players to ever take the court.
This Upper Deck SPx Grand Finale parallel portrays a young Bryant dunking, with the beautiful foil die-cut design of the /50 printing only enhancing that imagery.
When Upper Deck debuted the SPx brand with baseball in 1996, it was all about cutting-edge technology. The most noticeable was its use of holograms but there were also foil accents and die-cut designs. These principles carried over to other sports for the next couple of years. Although SPx continued to push the limits of technology and sports cards, Upper Deck decided to shift away from the hologram process the called Holoview. Enter the Grand Finale parallel, a send off of sorts commemorating the change.
Highly condition-sensitive thanks to that design, these prized pieces are tough to track down in quality condition. This NM-MT+ 8.5 is a pop 1 in the PSA registry with just one copy ranking higher.
The certification number on this card has been checked against the third-party grader's online database and is active as of 04/03/2026.
