15 Most Valuable 1994 Flair Basketball Cards

1994 Flair #326 Michael Jordan

Estimated PSA 10 Value: $150

Entering year two of the post-Jordan era of NBA basketball, the game felt different.

With the face of the league pursuing his baseball dreams in the Chicago White Sox organization, MJ's shadow loomed large over the NBA during the 1994-95 campaign.

The negative publicity surrounding Jordan's gambling exploits had subsided considerably in his nearly two years away from the league.

Quite simply, the NBA wanted Jordan back and he seemed receptive.

And then, seemingly all of a sudden, Jordan returned late in the 1994-95 campaign with the simplest of two-word statements: "I'm back."

MJ returned to the Bulls with 17 games left in the regular season, wearing the #45 instead of his trademark #23.

Jordan dropped nearly 27 points per game down the stretch, showcasing a dizzying array of new moves as the Bulls finished the year with a 13-4 run.

In the playoffs, Jordan's updated approach on the court was both jarring and effective.

Relying less on explosive athleticism than veteran savvy and creative shooting angles, MJ averaged 31.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 4.5 assists in ten playoff contests.

Yes, the postseason ended with a thud.

The Bulls just didn't have enough to get past the youthful, deep Orlando Magic in a six-game Eastern Conference Semifinals loss.

This card wasn't slotted as part of the original 325-card checklist but was later added to production.

1994 Flair #202 Jason Kidd Rookie Card

Estimated PSA 10 Value: $70

No rookie player had quite the impact that Jason Kidd did for Dallas during the 1994-95 NBA season.

Before selecting the Cal point guard with the second overall pick in the 1994 NBA Draft, the Mavs were a dumpster fire.

Dallas had won no more than 28 games since the turn of the decade and totaled a laughable 24 wins in the previous two seasons.

With Kidd on the court, the Mavs morphed from one of the worst offensive teams to much closer to the league average.

Dallas jumped from a dismal 100.4 offensive rating in 1993-94 to a respectable 107.6 in 1994-95.

Kidd was a big reason why.

Able to spot and exploit passing lanes that other point guards couldn't, the 21-year-old sensation averaged 7.7 assists in just 33.8 minutes per game.

He also averaged 11.7 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 1.9 steals in a balanced debut year that got everyone talking.

A co-NBA Rookie of the Year award with Grant Hill, Kidd led the league in triple-doubles.

While Dallas was far from a playoff contender, Kidd's dazzling rookie campaign was at least a welcome change of pace.

1994 Flair #213 Grant Hill Rookie Card

Estimated PSA 10 Value: $70

Grant Hill was selected third overall by the Detroit Pistons in the 1994 NBA draft as the franchise looked to Duke superstar to turn things around in the Motor City.

While at Duke, Hill won two NCAA Championships and was twice named an All-American.

And now, everyone was excited to watch him play in the pro ranks.

Hill immediately established himself as a threat in the league during his first professional game.

Though Detroit fell to the Lakers 115-98, the talented small forward dazzled in front of the home crowd, scoring 25 points, grabbing ten boards, and dishing out five assists in his hardwood debut.

He continued his impressive play throughout the remainder of the season, earning his first of seven career All-Star selections in the process.

Hill finished the year with per-game averages of 19.9 points, five assists, and 6.4 rebounds.

His resume that season was enough to earn Co-Rookie of the Year honors alongside Jason Kidd.

One final note that speaks to Hill's popularity is the fact that he was the first rookie to lead the NBA All-Star vote.

1994 Flair #107 Shaquille O'Neal

Estimated PSA 10 Value: $50

The Orlando Magic again raised the bar during the 1994-95 NBA season.

With a year of learning experiences behind them, the Magic's 1-2 punch of Shaquille O'Neal and Penny Hardaway dominated the East en route to a franchise-best 57-25 record.

With Hardaway manning the perimeter and setting the tempo, O'Neal became the league's top-scoring threat.

The third-year center won his first of two scoring titles in 1994-95, averaging 29.3 points on 58.3% shooting.

He added 11.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 2.4 blocks in 37.0 minutes per game.

The Magic had all the makings of a new super-team, especially in the seeming ashes of a Bulls dynasty.

Not only that, but they were fun. Really fun.

Orlando kept the good vibes of the regular season going through the first three rounds of the 1995 NBA Playoffs.

After dropping the Celtics in four, the Magic took down Jordan and the Bulls in a stunning six-game Eastern Conference Semifinals triumph.

They defeated the Pacers in seven after that to secure the franchise's first-ever NBA Finals berth.

O'Neal posted a 25.7/11.9 double-double in 21 playoff games and went down on his sword in a four-and-out NBA Finals loss to Houston, averaging 28.0/12.5/6.3 in defeat.

1994 Flair #24 Scottie Pippen

Estimated PSA 10 Value: $40

After leading his Bulls to an expectation-defying Eastern Conference Semifinals finish during the 1993-94 season without Jordan, Scottie Pippen began his second season as the face of the Bulls.

Chicago was anything but dominant, as their record stood barely above .500 at 34-31 before Jordan returned to the team.

And despite the fairytale nature of Jordan's return, Pippen and co only had 17 regular season games to figure out their new team chemistry.

Fortunately for the Bulls, it didn't take long for everyone to gel.

The 17-game experiment with Jordan ended in a 13-4 record and a 5th seed in the playoffs.

Pippen primarily deferred to Jordan in the First Round, averaging only 16 points in their series against the Hornets.

For the most part, Pippen was his old self in their next series against the Magic, but he greatly struggled in games 1 and 5.

Pippen had a solid Game 6 performance, but a tough night from Jordan mixed with domination from Shaq sent Chicago home in the Semifinals for the second consecutive year.

Pippen's 21.4 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 5.2 assists during the regular season earned him an All-NBA First Team and All-Defensive First Team spot.

1994 Flair #57 Hakeem Olajuwon

Estimated PSA 10 Value: $40

The 1994-95 Houston Rockets faced a steep climb in their pursuit of back-to-back NBA championships.

Somehow, they pulled it off.

The Rockets were inconsistent throughout the regular season, playing near .500 ball (38-35) after an exhilarating 9-0 start.

When things broke down, Houston leaned hard on reigning MVP Hakeem Olajuwon, upping his usage rate to a new career-high 31.7%.

For the most part, Olajuwon was up to the task.

The 32-year-old center posted a better PER (26.0) than his MVP year (25.3), averaging 27.8 points (on 51.7% shooting), 10.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 3.4 blocks, and 1.8 steals in 39.6 minutes per game.

Olajuwon missed eight games near the end of the campaign with anemia. When the playoffs arrived, he returned with a vengeance.

Running through a who's who of the NBA, Olajuwon averaged a league-leading 33.0 points with 10.3 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 2.8 blocks in 22 games.

He dropped 35.3 per game on David Robinson's #1-seeded Spurs in a six-game Western Conference Finals win, and followed that up with a 32.8/11.5/5.5 slash in a four-game NBA Finals sweep of Orlando.

Two Finals appearances, two wins, two Finals MVPs. Olajuwon was that guy.

1994 Flair #116 Charles Barkley

Estimated PSA 10 Value: $40

As unpredictable as he was with a camera in his face, you could virtually ink Barkley for at least 20 points and ten rebounds every season he touched a court.

The 1994-95 season was no different for the Round Mound of Rebound.

Despite missing 14 regular-season games to injury and rest, Barkley was just as productive as ever, averaging 23.0 points (on 48.6% shooting), 11.1 rebounds, and 4.1 assists in 35.0 minutes per game.

A Second-Team All-NBA performer and nine-time All-Star, the 31-year-old forward led the 59-win Phoenix Suns to the playoffs for the third time in three tries.

However, Barkley's hopes for a first NBA title were again dashed by a team of destiny.

After running through the Portland Trail Blazers in a three-game sweep, the Suns braced for a Western Conference Semifinals rematch with the defending NBA champion Houston Rockets.

Sadly for Phoenix, it was heartbreaking deja vu.

Barkley averaged 22.3 points and 13.3 rebounds against Houston, Kevin Johnson scored nearly 28 points per game, and Phoenix streaked out to a 3-1 series lead.

However, Houston was too deep (and Hakeem Olajuwon was too much) to deny.

The Rockets won the final three games of the series, including a 115-114 classic in Game 7 to oust Barkley and the Suns yet again in a winner-take-all showdown.

1994 Flair #62 Reggie Miller

Estimated PSA 10 Value: $30

The 1994-95 Indiana Pacers had a historic regular season, crossing the 50-win mark (52-30) for the first time since they were members of the ABA in 1972-73.

Reggie Miller was the heartbeat of this Indiana basketball renaissance, averaging a team-high 19.6 points on 46.2% shooting, 41.5% from three.

However, no one remembers much from the two-time All-Star's campaign except for the infamous "8 Points in 9 Seconds" barrage from Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

"I get the video sent to me all the time," Miller said. "Fans, they keep the spirit alive like it just happened recently."

Down 105-99 at New York with seconds to go, Miller buried a three off a screen to cut the deficit in half.

On the ensuing inbounds play, the Pacers legend quickly switched off John Starks and onto Greg Anthony.

Anthony and Starks collided, and Miller converted a steal into a step-back three to tie the game.

Rattled by the turn of events, Starks missed two free throws.

Miller was fouled shortly after and buried two freebies for the improbable road win.

Indiana dumped the Knicks in seven before falling to Orlando in a seven-game Eastern Conference Final.

1994 Flair #137 David Robinson

Estimated PSA 10 Value: $30

After finishing as the NBA MVP runner-up to Houston's Hakeem Olajuwon in 1993-94, it was David Robinson's turn to take center stage during the 1994-95 season.

One of the most accomplished two-way centers we've seen, David Robinson was at the apex of his offensive and defensive powers in 1994-95.

Robinson was on another level every night, swatting shots, boxing out, and scoring in bunches.

The Admiral finished the year averaging 27.6 points (on 53.0% shooting), 10.8 rebounds, 3.23 blocks, 1.65 steals, and 2.9 assists in 38.0 minutes per game.

After losing out to Olajuwon in 1993-94, Robinson earned 73 of 100 first-place votes in 1994-95 to run away with his first and only MVP award.

And with a balanced 62-win Spurs squad by his side, it felt like this was Robinson's time.

Enter Olajuwon and the defending champs.

After the Spurs dispatched the Nuggets and Lakers to reach the Western Conference Finals, the Rockets stood between San Antonio and its first Finals appearance.

Robinson went down swinging, averaging a double-double (23.8 points and 11.3 rebounds) while doing his best to slow down Olajuwon.

It just wasn't to be, as Hakeem dropped an eye-popping 35.3 points per game in a six-game series win.

1994 Flair #138 Dennis Rodman

Estimated PSA 10 Value: $30

It took two years for Dennis Rodman to overstay his welcome in San Antonio, who was always a weird fit with the business-first Spurs.

Despite The Worm's tabloid-baiting relationship with Madonna, the tenuous arrangement worked well enough in 1993-94.

Come 1994-95, the wheels flew off.

Rodman played chicken with the front office in the media and was suspended for several games for insubordination.

He publicly called out coach Bob Hill, GM Gregg Popovich, and star center David Robinson.

And he sulked on-court in a way that distracted everyone from San Antonio's team-record 62-win campaign.

The nine-year vet took home the league's rebounding title for the fourth consecutive year (16.8) and landed on both the All-Defensive First-Team and All-NBA Third Team.

However, the greatness of Rodman's game couldn't hide the poison he was injecting into the Spurs.

San Antonio was ultimately knocked out with a six-game Western Conference Finals loss to Houston, effectively ending Rodman's tenure with the team.

He was eventually dealt to Chicago days before the 1995-96 season, much to David Robinson's relief.

"It was like a zoo last year," Robinson said. "Now we'll be able to just focus on basketball. There won't be any of that other garbage."

1994 Flair #207 Jalen Rose Rookie Card

Estimated PSA 10 Value: $25

After a successful college career with Michigan as one of the infamous "Fab Five," Jalen Rose joined Dikembe Mutombo and the Denver Nuggets as the 13th pick of the 1994 NBA Draft.

Through 81 games, Rose averaged 8.2 points, 4.8 assists, and 2.7 rebounds, good enough for an All-Rookie Second-Team selection.

The Nuggets were coming off a "miracle run" that almost resulted in a Western Conference Final appearance during the 1993-94 campaign.

Unfortunately, despite the best efforts of Rose and Defensive Player of the Year Dikembe Mutombo, the Nuggets fell victim to many issues out of their control.

Numerous injuries and two coaching changes plagued the Nuggets, ending their season with a 41-41 record and the 8th seed in the playoffs.

Despite their heroics in the previous season, the '95 playoff Nuggets were not much more than a .500 team.

The #1 seed San Antonio Spurs dismantled them in 3 games, despite a strong 15-point, seven-assist Game 3 performance from Rose that almost helped Denver earn a win in the series.

Though Rose never earned a trip to the All-Star Game, he was consistently an efficient scorer for several teams, most notably the Indiana Pacers, Chicago Bulls and Toronto Raptors.

1994 Flair #53 and #323 Chis Webber

Estimated PSA 10 Value: $15

Coming off his 1993-94 rookie season in which he grabbed NBA Rookie of the Year honors, Webber’s tenure with the Golden State Warriors came to a surprising end.

Warriors coach Don Nelson repeatedly used Webber at the center position throughout his first year in the NBA despite pushback from the young superstar.

To appease Webber, the Warriors organization brought in Rony Seikaly from the Miami Heat ahead of the 1994-95 season so that Webber could move over to power forward, where he was more comfortable.

Unfortunately, it was too little, too late, as the rift between Webber and Nelson grew beyond repair.

Just a month into the season, Webber was sent to the Washington Bullets for Tom Gugliotta and three first-round picks to join Juwan Howard, his former “Fab Five” teammate at Michigan.

As teammates again, the chemistry between them quickly fell into place, and both Howard and Webber had solid performances for the Bullets.

Webber, the team’s leading scorer, averaged 20.1 points, 4.7 assists, and 9.6 rebounds.

Unfortunately, Washington’s young lineup struggled to win games despite Webber and Howard’s synergy and finished 21-61 and in 14th in the East.

Because of the mid-season trade, Webber appeared on two different base cards in this set.

1994 Flair #241 Eddie Jones Rookie Card

Estimated PSA 10 Value: $15

If anyone knows a good shooter when he sees him, it's Los Angeles Lakers legend Jerry West.

And Eddie Jones, the sharpshooter from Temple University and former 1993-4 Atlantic 10 Player of the Year, was precisely that.

So West, then the Lakers' general manager, didn't hesitate to use the 10th pick of the 1994 NBA Draft on Jones, stating, "We wanted the best pure athlete available, and Eddie was too good to pass up."

During his rookie season, Jones averaged 14 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 2.0 steals per game while sinking 1.4 three-pointers.

Taking home a fourth-place finish in the Rookie of the Year vote, Jones was an easy choice for the 1994-95 NBA All-Rookie First Team.

Over his fourteen seasons in the NBA, Jones would ultimately suit up for five different teams, most notably the Los Angeles Lakers, Charlotte Hornets and Miami Heat.

A shooting threat from anywhere on the court with quick hands on defense, Jones was consistently one of the biggest stars in the game during his era.

However, his resume didn't quite have enough to get him into the Hall of Fame.

1994 Flair #257 Glenn Robinson Rookie Card

Estimated PSA 10 Value: $15

By 1994, the tides began to turn for NBA rookies.

Gone were the days of taking the first contract ownership offered and thanking them for it.

The new wave of collegiate recruits had the savvy and the agents to demand big money from day one.

There's no better example of this shift towards player empowerment than Glenn Robinson.

Selected first overall by the Milwaukee Bucks in the 1994 NBA Draft, the former Purdue forward set his sights on a $100 million contract.

The Bucks balked at his demands, so Robinson sat out and waited for his bag.

And while the two parties settled on ten years for $68 million, he would have made a fraction if not for the growing leverage of the league's first-year stars.

Once he put pen to paper, the "Big Dog" ate well.

Finishing third in the NBA's Rookie of the Year balloting, Robinson averaged 21.9 points (on 45.1% shooting, 32.1% from three), 6.4 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.4 steals, and 0.3 blocks in 37.0 minutes per game.

The Bucks finished 34-48 on the season, a 14-game improvement over their conference-worst record a year before.

1994 Flair #319 Juwan Howard Rookie Card

Estimated PSA 10 Value: $15

Juwan Howard's time in Michigan's Fab Five taught him the professional ropes before becoming a pro.

"The guy walks in wearing a suit, shakes everyone's hand, looks everyone in the eye," former teammate Rex Chapman recalls. "It was like he was 40 years old. He was more mature than I was."

Selected #5 by the Washington Bullets in the 1994 NBA Draft, Howard was all business.

Lowballed by Bullets owner Abe Pollin, Howard held out of training camp and the first seven games of the regular season.

Fan sentiment soured towards the front office as Howard dug in his heels.

Months after offering Howard a paltry three-year, $3 million deal, the Nuggets signed him to a player-friendly 12-year, $43 million contract.

As soon as Howard signed, the Bullets swung for the fences, acquiring Howard's former Michigan teammate, Chris Webber, for Tom Gugliotta and three first-round picks.

The reunited duo didn't move the needle in terms of victories, but they brought plenty of excitement to an otherwise hellish 21-win Bullets season.

Howard came off the bench for the first 11 games and then averaged a near double-double (18.7 PPG, 8.6 RPG) as a starter over the final 54. 

1994 Flair Basketball Cards In Review

The 1994 Flair basketball set was well-received throughout the hobby when they first began hitting store shelves.

The NBA was still dealing with Michael Jordan's retirement, but a young Shaquille O'Neal, many future Hall of Famers, and a rookie class featuring two future Hall of Famers kept the fire going.

And when Flair later decided to produce a card for Jordan, that only made things sweeter.

He's the key to the set, while rookie cards of Jason Kidd and Grant Hill are also among the most desirable.

The design and quality of the cards in the set offered collectors a nice alternative in a super-premium set.

Fleer also kicked in a couple of subsets in the checklist, including:

• USA Basketball (#159 - 172)
• Checklists (#173 - 175; #324 - 325)

It's debatable how well this set has held up over time as the prices of some of the key cards in top condition are impressive but not too over-the-top.

However, it certainly has its place in hobby history as Fleer's first attempt at cracking into the super-premium basketball card market.

That, alone, makes it notable.