Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, & Dennis Rodman Chicago Bulls 2005-06 Upper Deck Exquisite Collection Logoman Triple #TL-JPR BGS 9 | 1-of-1 | Game-Used Patches

On June 4, 2004, the world of sports cards changed forever. On this date, Upper Deck released the first year of Exquisite Collection Basketball. Released at what was then the jaw-dropping price of $500 for five cards, 20-years on this product line continues to be a byword for excellence in high-end trading cards. 

The creator of Exquisite Collection, Karvin Cheung, had been looking for the right player to serve as the centerpiece for a new high-end set that would feature highly-limited rookie patch autographs. Cheung has cited the moment he saw LeBron James on the cover of Sports Illustrated in February 2002 under the headline “Chosen One” as the moment that he knew he had his player. Unknowingly, the basketball card world was also about to have perhaps its most important product in hobby history.

Upper Deck didn’t have to wait long to see that they had struck gold. Despite some initial hesitation over the eye-watering $500 price tag for just five cards, collectors gravitated toward this new high-end entry into the market. The checklist showed that Michael Jordan would again be featured in his Chicago Bulls uniform after his brief stint with the Washington Wizards, and the distinct wooden box captivated collectors of all ages as it presented these cards as a truly premium product. The singular dual NBA Logoman patch cards, which combined LeBron, MJ, and Kobe in different combinations, represented the absolute peak of the hobby. Upper Deck had created something truly special, a brand that would become the standard-bearer for high end card collecting.

The 2004-05 product introduced dual logoman autographs and triple logoman cards in Exquisite. Collectors understood that many of the best cards available each season for their favorite NBA rookies, stars, and legends would be found in Exquisite. 

Offered in this lot is much more than a few basketball relics; this card fully recognizes the success and dominance each player brought to the NBA, along with their ability to form one of the greatest dynasties the world of sports has ever seen. The Bulls’ teams of the 90s were among the most feared squads to ever be assembled, having managed to hoist the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy six times, including a three-peat from 1995-1998, during which Jordan, Pippen, and Rodman were all teammates. In a sport now dominated by “super teams”, perhaps the Bulls’ trio were the original “Big Three”? In an interview with SLAM magazine, Rodman once said “Now all of a sudden everyone’s talking about Big Threes. Now? Really? We were the Big Three. We were the main three. We consistently won, we consistently won championships”

This card has all the makings of “cream of the crop.” The players depicted represent the highest echelon of the sport having all been named to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame and the NBA 75th Anniversary Team. The game-used logoman patches constitute the pinnacle of game-used card collecting, and lastly the set, Exquisite Collection, serves as the highest benchmark of collectibility that the hobby has ever seen.

At the time of cataloging, only two officially licensed NBA trading cards have featured game-used logoman patches from each of Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and Dennis Rodman. This is the very first example, with the only other instance coming in a later Exquisite Collection release.

In its time, Exquisite Collection Basketball has seen records tumble and captured worldwide fascination, becoming the cornerstone of many of the most important trading card collections and earning a place on the Mount Rushmore of trading card sets for many enthusiasts.

This card has been authenticated and deemed to be in Mint condition, receiving a grade of 9 from Beckett Grading Services (BGS). The front of the card features three game-worn NBA logoman patches and a "1/1" stamp to emphasize its unduplicated nature.

The BGS certificate number for this card is: 0013447666

Going Deeper - The Last Dance

The Murderer’s Row Yankees, the ‘72 Dolphins, the Showtime Lakers. Every iconic franchise has that team of legend that shot them to the stratosphere. A rarified run that made men into heroes and showcased sporting excellence at its highest level while telling a story on the diamond, field, or court that had the world at the edge of its seat. It can be argued, as with these teams, that no team embodied this as much as the Last Dance Chicago Bulls and their bombastic headliners Dennis Rodman, Scottie Pippen, and of course Michael Jordan.

‘The Last Dance’ was Michael Jordan’s final season with the Chicago Bulls (1997-1998) and is perhaps the most beloved period in Jordan folklore, as Michael reached the apex of his popularity and powers while simultaneously conquering major internal divisions that were fracturing the team dynamics of the late 90s Chicago Bulls. The season is referred to as The Last Dance in large part due to the smash-hit ESPN documentary of the same name, which chronicled the Bulls efforts in the 1997-1998 season. The players were cognizant that the roster would ultimately be disbanded at the end of the season and knew it was their final opportunity to capture a 6th Bulls championship of the decade. The Last Dance was Michael Jordan’s ‘magnum opus’ as an athlete – a testament to him as a competitor, a sportsman, a teammate, and ultimately, a champion.

By this time, Scottie Pippen was a seven-time All Star, among the most impactful perimeter defenders in history, and earned a reputation as the ultimate sidekick, the model sports Robin to Jordan’s Batman. While a part of each of the Bulls’ five prior titles, Pippen wasn’t able to lift Chicago beyond the second round in either of the mostly Jordanless seasons between 1993 and 1995 but that didn’t stop him from earning back-to-back All-NBA First Team honors and, eventually, a place on the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team.

The real catalyst in the Bulls rejuvenated run through the late 90’s, however, was the acquisition of the ever-eccentric sparkplug Dennis Rodman. A two-time champion playing Chicago's foil as a member of the Detroit Pistons, Rodman was moved out of Motown and quickly wore out his welcome in San Antonio before being traded to the Windy City ahead of the 1995-96 season. The Bulls core, including coach Phil Jackson, was able to effectively wrangle in the eccentric star and his fit within the system paid immediate dividends as Chicago set an NBA record with 72 wins to 10 losses in his first campaign. By the close of the season in the spring of 1998, Rodman had firmed up his case as one of the best rebounders in the history of the game riding a streak seven straight rebounding titles.

The fairytale season culminated in a rematch of the 1997 NBA Finals with the Bulls squaring off against John Stockton, Karl Malone, and the Utah Jazz. In Game 6, with the Bulls leading the series 3-2, Jordan famously came up with a last-minute steal before sinking a game-winning jumper in the closing seconds. It was a picture-perfect ending that only ‘His Airness’ could have delivered. At the conclusion of the game, Jordan was named Finals MVP for an all-time record 6th time.