Few vintage basketball card sets pack as much punch as the 1972 Topps basketball card set.
Rookie cards of Julius Erving, Artis Gilmore, Phil Jackson, and George McGinnis anchor a star-studded checklist that is loaded with Hall of Famers.
And the design is instantly recognizable...
Bright colors, team names that grow increasingly larger across the bottom, and great imagery offer collectors so much eye appeal to enjoy.
Of all the great vintage basketball card sets available to collect, this one is easily one of my favorites.
And, in this guide, I'll run through the fifteen most valuable.
Let's jump right in!
1972 Topps #195 Julius Erving Rookie Card
Estimated PSA 9 Mint Value: $25,000
Because it's one of the most recognizable vintage basketball cards of all time, there is no surprise that the Julius Erving rookie card is the most expensive in this set.
For sixteen seasons across both the ABA and NBA, Julius Erving dominated opposing defenders with his incredible athletic ability and flashy moves.
His style of play is credited for influencing so many players who followed in his footsteps, something that few other basketball players in history can claim.
Whether Dr. J was leaping from the free-throw line, slashing through the paint, or going up and under opposing defenders, it was nearly impossible to keep him from scoring.
Over his career, Erving averaged 24.7 points per game, led the league in scoring three times, and poured in 30,026 total points across the ABA and NBA to put him at eighth on the all-time scoring list.
Erving set a career-high by scoring 31.9 points per game during the 1972-73 campaign with the Virginia Squires, but that year started much shakier than it ended.
Because of a dispute with the Squires ahead of the season, Erving had signed a contract to play for the Atlanta Hawks.
And, at the same time, the Milwaukee Bucks had drafted him with the 12th pick of the NBA Draft that year (just imagine if he had played alongside Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Oscar Robertson in Milwaukee).
In the end, a court enforced his contract with the Squires, with whom he played that second year of his career before the team sold his contract to the New York Nets.
1972 Topps #100 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Estimated PSA 9 Mint Value: $2,750
After back-to-back scoring titles and NBA MVP awards in 1970-71 and 1971-72, 25-year-old Milwaukee Bucks center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar ruled the basketball world.
However, a dispiriting six-game loss to the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1972 Western Conference Finals left Abdul-Jabbar wanting more.
Abdul-Jabbar kept his foot on the gas during the 1972-73 regular season, finishing second in the NBA scoring title race behind Sacramento's Tiny Archibald with 30.2 points per game.
That performance put Abdul-Jabbar alongside teammate Oscar Robertson and Lakers superstar Wilt Chamberlain as the only players in NBA history to average 30 points or more in three-straight seasons.
Abdul-Jabbar was a model of efficiency in the post all season long as his 55.4% field goal percentage was the best among the league's high-volume shooters.
His overall performance placed him as runner-up to Boston Celtics double-double machine Dave Cowens for the MVP Award.
Led by their all-world big man, the talented Bucks faced off against the underdog Golden State Warriors in the first round.
However, Golden State's Nate Thurmond stifled Abdul-Jabbar, cutting 8 points and 12 % off his points-per-game and field goal percentage totals, respectively.
The Warriors finished one of the most impressive postseason upsets in NBA history with a resounding 100-86 win in Game 6.
1972 Topps #32 Phil Jackson Rookie Card
Estimated PSA 9 Mint Value: $2,250
Phil Jackson's basketball IQ helped him rewrite the NBA record books with 11 championships as a head coach.
It didn't hurt his success as a player either.
After spinal fusion surgery, Jackson missed the New York Knicks' run to the 1970 NBA title, but the 27-year-old power forward was one of New York's most valuable reserves during the 1972-73 campaign.
In 17.4 minutes per game, Jackson averaged 8.1 points and 4.3 rebounds while playing top-level defense against the opposition's front court threats.
His minute total increased to 19.9 per game in the playoffs, and Jackson answered the bell, posting averages of 8.7 points and 4.2 rebounds while adding even more defensive grit to a team that already had plenty.
The season ended with Jackson's second official title as a player.
But, it was honestly his first real taste of championship nirvana as a professional.
Years later, as head coach of the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers, he'd taste it again, and again, and again.
1972 Topps #1 Wilt Chamberlain
Estimated PSA 9 Mint Value: $2,000
The 1972-73 season was Wilt Chamberlain's last year on the court, but it wasn't supposed to be that way.
Chamberlain's usage rate reached its nadir in his final season, with a drop from 33.6 shots per game at his peak (1964-65) to just 7.1.
However, he picked his spots with a precision never seen before as his 72.7% field goal percentage set a new NBA benchmark, surpassing his own record by over four percent (68.3%, 1966-67).
Chamberlain averaged 13.2 points and 18.6 rebounds, finishing the regular season with his 11th rebounding title.
And despite a slew of injuries to top contributors like Jerry West and Happy Hairston, the Lakers rode Chamberlain to 60 wins and a trip to the NBA Finals.
At 36 years of age, Chamberlain was a force against New York as he nearly averaged a 20/20 for the series, posting 19.4 points and 23.2 rebounds per contest.
However, the depleted Lakers didn't have enough firepower to stay around with a healthy, determined Knicks squad, losing in five.
In the offseason, the ABA's San Diego Conquistadors signed Chamberlain as a player/coach, but the problem was that the Lakers still had an option year left on his NBA deal.
Los Angeles successfully sued Chamberlain, barring him from playing for the Conquistadors.
Still, he stayed on as their coach in name mostly, assigning most of the actual day-to-day coaching duties to assistant Stan Albeck.
San Diego finished 37-47 in front of just 1,843 fans a game, and Chamberlain officially retired as a professional basketball player following the season.
1972 Topps #183 George McGinnis Rookie Card
Estimated PSA 9 Mint Value: $1,800
Indiana Pacers power forward turned the heads of NBA executives with marquee regular-season and postseason performances on ABA courts around the country during the 1972-73 season.
McGinnis averaged a double-double with 27.6 points and 12.5 rebounds while playing 40.8 minutes per game.
That level of production was more than enough to earn McGinnis his first ABA All-Star nod.
The defending champion Pacers finished 51-33 and looked to their young star to make their repeat dreams a reality as the playoffs drew closer.
And McGinnis obliged.
In 18 playoff games, he averaged 23.9 points, 12.3 rebounds, and 2.2 assists.
This included 27 points, seven rebounds, and an assist in the team’s Game 7 triumph over Kentucky in the ABA Finals.
McGinnis looked like the best player on the court in every postseason contest he played.
His scoring prowess and passing instinct ignited run after run in Indiana’s march to back-to-back championships.
For his efforts, McGinnis was named ABA Playoffs MVP and within three years, he’d be in the NBA.
1972 Topps #255 Julius Erving All-Star
Estimated PSA 9 Mint Value: $1,400
During Erving's rookie debut in the 1971-72 season, he averaged 27.3 points, four assists, and a career-high 15.7 points per game.
He wasted no time in making his mark on the league.
Because of his incredible play, he earned his first of sixteen straight All-Star selections.
This All-Star card features a great action shot of Dr. J sailing through the air for the score while two New York Nets defenders look on helplessly in the background.
The East blew out the West 142-115 in the 1972 ABA All-Star Game with Erving contributing 20 points, six rebounds and 3 assists in the winning effort.
1972 Topps #5 Pete Maravich
Estimated PSA 9 Mint Value: $1,300
After missing sixteen games due to injury in his sophomore season, Atlanta Hawks shooting guard Pete Maravich was much healthier in 1972-73.
His improved health helped put a tentative sophomore slump behind him to secure the first All-Star selection of his Hall-of-Fame career.
Maravich refined the theatrical element of his game, upping his potency as a scorer and a playmaker in the process as he finished fifth in NBA with 26.1 points and a career-best 6.9 assists per game.
The Second Team All-NBA performer comprised one-half of the league's best scoring duo alongside Lou Hudson, who finished fourth in the league at 27.1 points per contest.
Hudson was the perfect yin to Maravich's yang as he tandem led Atlanta to a 46-36 record, the only winning season of Maravich's prime.
The Hawks finished second to the Baltimore Bullets in the Central Division, drawing the juggernaut Boston Celtics in the first round of the playoffs.
Hudson and Maravich combined for just under 56 points per game against Boston, but it wasn't enough.
Boston won three games by at least 13 points, dispatching the pesky Hawks in six.
1972 Topps #163 Kareem Abdul Jabbar All-Star
Estimated PSA 9 Mint Value: $1,300
During the 1972 NBA All-Star Game, the West barely squeaked out a victory over the East, winning 112-110.
Abdul-Jabbar chipped in twelve points, seven rebounds and two assists during the nineteen minutes during his third-straight All-Star appearance.
When the 1971-72 season came to a close, Abdul-Jabbar sat atop the scoring leaderboard for the second season in a row as he paced the league with an eye-popping 34.8 points per game, a personal best.
His 16.6 rebounds per game were the second-highest of his legendary career and his overall production made him an easy choice for his second MVP Award in as many years.
The action shot on this card is one of the best in the entire set as Topps captured Abdul-Jabbar in the middle of one of his iconic sky hook shots over none other than Wilt Chamberlain.
1972 Topps #180 Artis Gilmore Rookie Card
Estimated PSA 9 Mint Value: $1,000
Kentucky Colonels center Artis Gilmore didn't play an NBA game until after the ABA disbanded in 1976.
However, he did hold his own in a 1972 Supergame against a virtual NBA Hall-of-Fame squad.
Up against seven future Hall of Famers and some of the best players in basketball history, Artis Gilmore didn't flinch.
He finished the game with 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting, outperforming Wilt Chamberlain in the process.
The ABA lost the game, 106-104.
Yet, Gilmore gained credibility and plenty of confidence that he parlayed into a stellar 1972-73 campaign for the Colonels.
The 23-year-old big man led the ABA in field-goal percentage (55.9%) while averaging 20.8 points and 17.6 rebounds per game.
During the playoffs, Gilmore averaged 19.0 points and 13.7 rebounds per game and pushed the Colonels to the precipice of a championship.
In Game 7 of the ABA Finals against the Indiana Pacers, Gilmore scored 19 points and grabbed 17 boards.
Frustratingly, the rest of the Colonels couldn't back him up, and the Pacers won the game and the title, 88-81.
1972 Topps #25 Oscar Robertson
Estimated PSA 9 Mint Value: $800
For ten years, Oscar Robertson was a one-man wrecking machine for the Cincinnati Royals, doing everything to help his team win.
He was everywhere on offense and nearly averaged a triple-double in each of his first five seasons.
And he actually did average a triple-double during the 1961-62 season, becoming the first player to do so as he turned in 30.8 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 11.4 assists per game.
Despite his efforts, he never did find championship glory with the Royals.
And then, surprisingly, the team traded him to the Milwaukee Bucks ahead of the 1970-71 season and his fortunes turned around entirely.
Robertson immediately won a championship ring that year as the pairing of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and him was just too much for opposing teams to handle.
During his first two seasons with the Bucks, Robertson was an All-Star each year, but his streak of twelve-straight All-Star appearances came to a halt during the 1972-73 campaign.
After the 1973-74 season, his fourteenth in professional basketball, Robertson retired and left a legacy as one of the best all-around players in the game's history.
1972 Topps #75 Jerry West
Estimated PSA 9 Mint Value: $750
Legendary Lakers guard Jerry West finally got his ring in 1972 but, he wasn't happy with how he got it.
"I played terrible basketball in the Finals, and we won," West said later. "It was particularly frustrating because I was playing so poorly that the team overcame me."
With an added chip on his shoulder in the twilight of his career, West attacked the 1972-73 campaign with vigor.
With Gail Goodrich serving as the team's new primary scorer, West continued to flourish as a facilitator.
And as usual, The Logo was a cut above the rest.
West averaged 22.8 points, 8.8 assists, and 4.2 rebounds in 35.7 minutes per game.
He missed 13 games to injuries and rest but earned first-team selections to the All-NBA and All-Defensive teams.
He also earned his 13th-straight All-Star team selection. In 17 playoff games, West averaged 23.6 points, 7.8 assists, and 4.5 rebounds.
It ended painfully, though, as he strained both of his hamstrings in the NBA Finals.
He gritted through the pain but didn't have his normal legs underneath him. New York got revenge for the previous year's Finals loss, winning the series in five.
1972 Topps #60 Walt Frazier
Estimated PSA 9 Mint Value: $650
The 1972-73 NBA season was the first full year for the famed "Rolls-Royce backcourt."
Early the season before, the New York Knicks acquired Frazier's long-time rival, Earl Monroe, via a trade with Baltimore.
Now, they made up perhaps the best defensive backcourt duo in NBA history.
Their personalities complemented each other, as did their playing styles.
"He's fire and I'm ice," Frazier said of Monroe at the time.
With Monroe at his side, Frazier hit yet another level and averaged 21.1 points, a career-best 7.3 rebounds, and 5.9 assists in 40.8 minutes per game.
He locked down opposing guards with active hands and unparalleled instincts, earning his fifth-straight selection to the NBA's All-Defensive First Team.
He also earned his fourth-straight All-Star nod and a spot on the All-NBA second team.
The Knicks suffocated the opposition, pacing the NBA with just 98.2 points allowed per contest.
It carried over to the NBA Finals and, when the dust settled, Frazier had his second (and final) championship ring.
1972 Topps #168 Wilt Chamberlain All-Star
Estimated PSA 9 Mint Value: $550
At 35 years old, Wilt Chamberlain may not have been the same guy who once averaged 50.4 points and 25.7 rebounds in a single season.
But, he was still Wilt Chamberlain...
And, he played well enough during the 1971-72 season to earn his twelfth All-Star selection.
Coming off the bench, Chamberlain scored eight points and led the West with ten rebounds as they barely edged the East in a 112-110 victory.
1972 Topps #263 ABA Rebound Leaders
Estimated PSA 9 Mint Value: $500
Not only does this card feature three Hall of Famers, but it also features two of the top rookies in this set in Artis Gilmore and Julius Erving, giving it a massive boost in value.
As rookies during the 1971-72 season, Gilmore and Erving averaged 17.8 and 15.7 rebounds per game, respectively, while veteran Mel Daniels chimed in with 16.4 per contest.
Daniels and Gilmore continued to be some of the top rebounders in the game throughout their careers.
But, Erving became known as more of a scoring threat as the years wore on, never topping his rebounding output during his rookie season.
1972 Topps #237 Rick Mount
Estimated PSA 9 Mint Value: $400
Former two-time consensus First-Team All-American Rick Mount is one of the what-ifs of the 1976 NBA/ABA merger.
With LSU's Pete Maravich and UCLA's Lew Alcindor grabbing all of the headlines in college, Mount's Herculean scoring efforts at Purdue never led to a National Player of the Year award.
He was still a marquee pro prospect, but unlike Maravich and Alcindor, Mount chose the ABA over the NBA.
In 1971-72, Mount blossomed into a fantastic secondary scoring threat with the Indiana Pacers, averaging 14.3 points a game and helping the team to an ABA title.
With a crowded backcourt rotation, the Pacers maximized their value by trading Mount to the Kentucky Colonels in the offseason.
Despite battling injuries, Mount was a source of instant offense as he averaged 14.9 points in 29.2 minutes per game during the regular season.
Though Kentucky fell in the ABA Finals, the future looked bright for Mount.
And if things had gone differently, he could have been a Los Angeles Laker.
After all, they had his contract rights after selecting him in the 8th round of the 1970 NBA Draft.
However, a shoulder dislocation suffered during the 1974-75 ABA season cut Mount's career short before the merger took place.
1972 Topps Basketball Cards In Review
Featuring several key rookie cards and plenty of Hall of Famers, the 1972 Topps basketball set remains one of the most desirable of any vintage basketball set.
While the checklist may be small at just 264 cards, there is just so much star power to be found inside.
Within it, there were also several different subsets, including:
- NBA Playoffs (#154 - 159)
- NBA Leaders (#171 - 176)
- ABA Playoffs (#241 - 247)
- ABA Leaders (#259 - 264)
And, the design is instantly recognizable.
For those collectors on the lookout for great Hall of Famers of the era, key rookie cards, and great visual appeal, this set has it all.