Collectors rejoice: we’re massively upgrading rookie players’ Moments on NBA Top Shot in the near future. 

As any sports collector knows, there’s something special about snagging a rookie collectible before that player ascends to stardom. As a result, we’re working hard in the lab to find ways to upgrade our rookie Moments to make them more identifiable and iconic long-term. This feature is coming soon. 


Take note, cause rookie Moments on NBA Top Shot will soon have badges that’ll carry up to three distinguishing factors:

  1. Was the Moment from the player’s rookie year? 

If so, this Moment will be identified with a rookie badge.

  1. Was the Moment from the player’s NBA debut game?

If so, this Moment can carry extra value for collectors long-term and will have a little something extra on their rookie badge.

  1. Was the Moment minted in the player’s rookie year? 

For example, with our Run It Back packs, we minted Moments from players who were rookies in the 2013-14 season like Giannis Antetokounmpo and Victor Oladipo. These Moments will receive  a rookie badge, but won’t be distinguished as Rookie Mints, because they were minted years after their rookie season. LaMelo Ball and Tyrese Haliburton Moments from this season, however, will be distinguished as Rookie Mints because they were minted during the player’s rookie season. Same goes for Zion Williamson and Ja Morant Moments from last season.


More Details:

  • Rookie Moment badges will be applied retroactively to any Moment from a player’s rookie season. This includes rookies’ playoff Moments. That is, all Series 1 and 2 rookie Moments will get this upgrade, regardless of tier or set.

  • In time, we’ll make it easier for collectors to search for Rookie Moments in the Marketplace.

  • Moments from the Rookie Debut set in Series 1 didn’t necessarily occur in the players’ rookie debut game, so unless the Moment came from the player’s debut, it won’t be distinguished with the debut badge, even if it came from the Rookie Debut set. Make sense?

  • Please note: while rookie Moments are about to get upgraded, we also have a lot more Series 2 rookie Moments coming to the Marketplace soon. 4,000 of each Series 2 rookie Moment have been minted, but only ~200 of these same-edition Moments have hit the Marketplace so far.

  • We’re also going to add badges in time to players’ first play on NBA Top Shot. This first play badge will not be exclusive to a specific set. Every Moment sharing the play (across sets) will receive the badge.

Hope this information helps you as you continue to grow your collections. Stay tuned for more updates coming soon. Until then, happy collecting!