For a mainstream Wembanyama NBA rookie, start with 2023–24 Panini Prizm #136. Donruss Optic #225 is another NBA rookie; the earlier 2022–23 Bowman Chrome University #101 shows him with Metropolitans 92 before his Spurs career.
The word “University” does not mean Wembanyama played college basketball. Also separate NBA-licensed Panini cards from 2023–24 Topps Chrome, which has player rights but no NBA team logos.
Complete base rookie-card checklist (40 cards)
| Year | Manufacturer | Set | Number | Classification |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023–24 | Panini | NBA Hoops | #277 | NBA-licensed base RC |
| 2023–24 | Panini | Donruss Rated Rookie | #220 | NBA-licensed base RC |
| 2023–24 | Panini | Prizm | #136 | NBA-licensed base RC |
| 2023–24 | Panini | Court Kings Rookies I | #73 | NBA-licensed tiered base RC |
| 2023–24 | Panini | Court Kings Rookies II | #106 | NBA-licensed tiered base RC |
| 2023–24 | Panini | Court Kings Rookies III | #139 | NBA-licensed tiered base RC |
| 2023–24 | Panini | Court Kings Rookies IV | #172 | NBA-licensed tiered base RC |
| 2023–24 | Panini | Donruss Elite | #231 | NBA-licensed base RC |
| 2023–24 | Panini | Revolution | #104 | NBA-licensed base RC |
| 2023–24 | Panini | Origins | #86 | NBA-licensed base RC |
| 2023–24 | Panini | Recon | #225 | NBA-licensed base RC |
| 2023–24 | Panini | Crown Royale | #48 | NBA-licensed base RC |
| 2023–24 | Panini | Select Concourse | #87 | NBA-licensed tiered base RC |
| 2023–24 | Panini | Select Premier Level | #121 | NBA-licensed tiered base RC |
| 2023–24 | Panini | Select Courtside | #288 | NBA-licensed tiered base RC |
| 2023–24 | Panini | Select Mezzanine | #311 | NBA-licensed tiered base RC |
| 2023–24 | Panini | Obsidian | #9 | NBA-licensed base RC |
| 2023–24 | Panini | Donruss Optic Rated Rookie | #225 | NBA-licensed base RC |
| 2023–24 | Panini | Contenders Season Ticket | #11 | NBA-licensed base RC |
| 2023–24 | Panini | Mosaic | #238 | NBA-licensed base RC |
| 2023–24 | Topps | Topps Chrome | #1 | Player-licensed RC; no NBA team logos |
| 2023–24 | Panini | Spectra | #137 | NBA-licensed base RC |
| 2023–24 | Panini | Hoops Premium Stock | #108 | NBA-licensed base RC |
| 2023–24 | Panini | Impeccable | #83 /99 | NBA-licensed serial-numbered base RC |
| 2023–24 | Panini | Phoenix | #256 | NBA-licensed base RC |
| 2023–24 | Topps | Topps Chrome Sapphire Edition | #1 | Player-licensed RC; no NBA team logos |
| 2023–24 | Panini | Noir | #149 /99 | NBA-licensed serial-numbered base RC |
| 2023–24 | Panini | Noir | #179 /99 | Second NBA-licensed serial-numbered base RC |
| 2023–24 | Panini | Noir | #238 /25 | Third NBA-licensed serial-numbered base RC |
| 2023–24 | Panini | One and One | #122 /99 | NBA-licensed serial-numbered base RC |
| 2023–24 | Topps | Cosmic Chrome | #151 | Player-licensed RC; no NBA team logos |
| 2023–24 | Topps | Finest Common | #76 | Player-licensed tiered RC; no NBA team logos |
| 2023–24 | Topps | Finest Uncommon | #197 | Player-licensed tiered RC; no NBA team logos |
| 2023–24 | Topps | Finest Rare | #271 | Player-licensed tiered RC; no NBA team logos |
| 2023–24 | Topps | Midnight | #50 | Player-licensed RC; no NBA team logos |
| 2023–24 | Panini | Haunted Hoops | #108 | NBA-licensed seasonal base RC |
| 2023–24 | Panini | Hoops Winter | #277 | NBA-licensed seasonal base RC |
| 2023–24 | Panini | Black | #87 | NBA-licensed base RC |
| 2023–24 | Panini | Photogenic | #200 | NBA-licensed base RC |
| 2023–24 | Panini | Top Class NBA | #130 | NBA-licensed base RC |
Patch and autograph rookie cards
These five RC-designated cards belong to premium base subsets. They are separated because they contain a patch, an autograph, or both.
| Year | Manufacturer | Set | Number | Classification |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023–24 | Panini | National Treasures | #154 /99 | NBA-licensed patch RC; no autograph |
| 2023–24 | Panini | Immaculate Collection | #145 /99 | NBA-licensed patch RC; no autograph |
| 2023–24 | Topps | Topps 3 | #101 /49 | Player-licensed autograph-patch RC; photo variation exists |
| 2023–24 | Topps | Motif | #101 /49 | Player-licensed autograph-patch RC |
| 2023–24 | Topps | Royalty | #115 | Player-licensed autograph-patch RC |
Prizm #136: begin with the base card
Prizm #136 is the reference point I’d use for a Spurs rookie collection. Some catalogs shorten the season to 2023; the product is commonly named by the 2023–24 season. Those two ways of writing the year do not automatically mean different releases.
Start with the ordinary card before comparing a Silver or a color. Prizm is the product name, so a listing that says “Prizm rookie” has not yet told you the parallel. You do not need a parallel for the card to count as an NBA rookie.
Optic #225 and Topps Chrome #1
If you like the Rated Rookie design, Donruss Optic #225 is the Chrome alternative to put beside Prizm. Beckett’s Optic checklist lists Wembanyama at #225 and separates base from Holo and other parallels. Keep “Optic” in the search; plain Donruss is a different release.
2023–24 Topps Chrome #1 also belongs to this season, but its licensing is different. Beckett documents the NBA Players Association license and absence of NBA logos. Topps’ own checklist lists Wembanyama as #1 and marks him as a rookie.
That makes it a real Topps release, not a counterfeit because the team logos are missing. It is still useful to keep it separate from NBA-licensed Prizm and Optic when deciding what you want in a collection. If the Spurs uniform and team branding are important to you, that distinction matters.
Bowman #101 comes before the NBA cards
The 2022–23 Bowman Chrome University #101 shows Wembanyama with Metropolitans 92. It is a pre-NBA card from his time in France, despite appearing in a product called University. Beckett’s early-card guide distinguishes the short-printed base card from the separate #101 autograph.
Those two #101s are easy to muddle in a search. The unsigned base short print is not simply an autograph card with the signature missing. The autograph has its own versions, including numbered Refractors. CGC’s example documents the signed issue. Decide which one you mean before comparing listings.
Base, Silver, Green, and Holo
The second image is the base Donruss Optic Rated Rookie #225. Its Holo and colored parallels share the number, so match the finish as well as the card number before comparing copies.
For Prizm, separate base, Silver, and colors. For Optic, separate base from Holo and its colors. A shiny surface alone does not identify the version. If a card is serial-numbered, read the stamp on that copy; do not infer a print run just from its color or a seller calling it “rare.”
The Rookie Card Take
I’d choose base Prizm #136 for one straightforward Spurs rookie. If I preferred Optic’s Rated Rookie design, I’d take #225 instead. I wouldn’t buy a color I disliked just because it was less common.
The earlier Bowman represents his career before the NBA. It could sit nicely beside a Spurs rookie, but it is not necessary to own both. And if Topps Chrome’s photograph appealed to me, I’d consider it knowing that it lacks NBA team logos. The Chrome name alone does not make it equivalent to Prizm or Optic.
Current listings
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These links open searches, not individual cards we have authenticated. Compare the same version and condition, and use completed sales rather than asking prices as your price reference.
View base Prizm #136 on eBay
View Optic Rated Rookie #225 on eBay
View Topps Chrome #1 on eBay
View earlier Bowman Chrome University #101 on eBay