Topps is bringing three generations of Los Angeles Lakers history into one of its biggest upcoming basketball-card releases.
The company revealed new autographed cards featuring Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson and Shaquille O’Neal for 2025-26 Topps Chrome Updates Basketball. The preview images show each Lakers legend on an individually stamped 1-of-1 card, meaning only one copy of each version exists.
That creates an obvious chase for collectors, but the appeal extends well beyond the hobby. Abdul-Jabbar, Johnson and O’Neal were central figures in three distinct Lakers championship eras, making the cards a compact tour through the franchise’s history.
Topps said the Chrome Updates product will become available August 6 at noon ET. The release contains a 200-card base set, updated in-season photography and an extensive lineup of inserts and autographs.
Kareem, Magic and Shaq Cards Connect Three Lakers Eras
The three previewed cards use a shared Topps Chrome design, Lakers imagery and large on-card blue signatures.
Abdul-Jabbar is shown wearing No. 33 and releasing his signature skyhook. His card connects to the Lakers teams that won five NBA championships during the 1980s.
Johnson’s card captures the Hall of Fame point guard advancing the ball in No. 32. Alongside Abdul-Jabbar, Johnson became the face of the “Showtime” Lakers and one of the most recognizable players in league history.
O’Neal represents the franchise’s next dynasty. The card pictures him celebrating in No. 34, the number he wore while helping Los Angeles win three consecutive championships from 2000 through 2002.
For a casual Lakers fan, the attraction is the names. For a collector, the gold “1/1” stamping changes the equation. These are not simply new autograph cards of three frequently collected Hall of Famers. Each previewed card is a unique hit with no identical numbered copy beneath it.
Topps has not disclosed where the individual cards will be pulled, their exact odds or whether additional parallels of the same design will appear. Collectors should therefore avoid assuming that every box format offers the same chance at one of the three cards.
Lakers Legends Add Another Chase to a Rookie-Heavy Release
The primary attraction in Topps Chrome Updates is expected to be the basketball debut of Rookie Debut Patch Autographs. Those one-of-one cards contain patches worn during a player’s first NBA game, with Cooper Flagg, Kon Knueppel and Dylan Harper among the rookies promoted by Topps.
That rookie focus makes the Lakers trio an important counterweight.
Collectors opening a current-season product are usually chasing first-year players and modern stars. Abdul-Jabbar, Johnson and O’Neal offer a different kind of upside: established names with multigenerational fan bases and no uncertainty surrounding their place in basketball history.
The wider autograph lineup also includes modern stars, rookies and entertainment figures. Topps says the release will feature its standard Chrome Autographs, cards using the classic 1980-81 Topps design and Lava Lamp Rookie Autographs.
Additional short-print content includes illustrated Alter Egos cards, Minions-themed NBA cards and other new insert concepts. The base checklist uses refreshed images of players in Statement, City and Classic Edition uniforms.
What Collectors Should Watch Before August 6
The biggest unanswered question is how the Lakers one-of-ones are distributed across the product’s different configurations.
Topps’ Mega Box contains six cards per pack and seven packs per box, but the company’s product page does not state that every Mega Box contains an autograph. The initial Mega Box preorder has also sold out, according to Topps.
That makes the complete checklist, pack odds and format-specific guarantees essential reading before buying boxes solely to chase Kareem, Magic or Shaq.
Pulling any one of the three would require extraordinary luck. Still, their inclusion gives Lakers fans a clear rooting interest in a product whose biggest headlines have otherwise centered on the current rookie class.
Three eras, three Hall of Famers and three one-of-one signatures make these among the release’s easiest cards to understand, and almost certainly among its hardest cards to find.
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