Instead of producing a second series of Metal Universe basketball in 1997, Fleer/SkyBox introduced Metal Universe Championship as a new product. The initial Metal Universe release proved popular with collectors who chased the Red and Green Precious Metal Gems parallels on Marvel-inspired etched foil cards. But the Championship edition changed the narrative. The 100-card set used backgrounds ranging from cityscapes to landscapes to outer space behind action photos of players. Hakeem Olajuwon is a perfect example of this with the Texas landscape providing the backdrop
PMGs returned to the new set, but instead of colored foil, the parallel utilized holographic spirals, and Fleer/SkyBox capped production at /50 for the 98 player cards. As with their predecessors, the full-foil fronts of the Championship PMGs frequently incurred chips, scratches, and other blemishes, leaving well-preserved examples for and far between. That's the case with this Olajuwon.
Graded a NM-MT+ 8.5, it's a pop 1 in the PSA registry with just three copies ranking higher.
The certification number on this card has been checked against the third-party grader's online database and is active as of 06/01/2026.
