1997 Skybox Premium Thunder & Lightning Michael Jordan #5 PSA 10 GEM MINT

When the Chicago Bulls drafted Michael Jordan as the third overall selection in the 1984 NBA Draft, they anticipated his lightning-quick reflexes would result in thunderous ovations inside Chicago Stadium. Jordan stormed into the league as expected, and he also turned the Bulls into the NBA’s biggest attraction—blowing past opponents to the tune of six championships and five regular-season MVPs and helping the franchise usher in a new arena. As he built his championship résumé, Jordan also became the main attraction in the basketball card industry. If a company produced a rare insert that did not focus on rookies or players at a specific position, Jordan likely fell onto the checklist. Fleer/SkyBox released many of the most memorable inserts during the 1990s. The SkyBox Premium Thunder & Lightning issue began as a double-sided, two-player insert in 1992, ’93, and ’96 before morphing into a single-player double-sided release in 1997-98 (home jersey on the front, away jersey on the back). Collectors found a card from the set once every 192 packs, making it the second-toughest pull from Series 2 packs. Because of dark full-bleed printing on both sides of the card, collectors rarely see Thunder & Lightning inserts surface in high grades. Of the more than 190 times PSA has assessed this card, just 15 have achieved a Gem Mint 10 grade. The certification number on this card has been checked against the third-party grader's online database and is active as of 12/09/2025.

This item was flash inserted on Dec 8, 2025.