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2026-27 Topps Flagship Basketball Rookie Autographs List
2026-27 Topps Flagship Basketball rookie autographs by player: 9 rookie auto lists, 5 relic lists, and the 4 first-year players with no autograph at all.
2026-27 Topps Flagship Basketball rookie autographs come from nine rookie-only lists on Topps' checklist, and almost every first-year player is in most of them. Almost: four rookies with base cards, including the No. 7 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, have no autograph and no relic on the list. Here is who signs, counted from Topps' PDF on October 11, 2026.
TL;DR: Topps' checklist (file dated 10-9-26) has 45 base rookies, cards 256 to 300, and nine autograph lists where every line is a rookie. 20 rookies are in eight of those nine lists, led by AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, Cameron Boozer and Caleb Wilson. Darius Acuff Jr. (pick 7), Jayden Quaintance (20), Karim Lopez (21) and Meleek Thomas (34) have no autograph or relic line at all.
2026-27 Topps Flagship Basketball rookie autographs (quick answer)
Of the 45 base-set rookies, 41 appear in at least one rookie autograph list. Twenty are in eight of the nine lists, sixteen in seven, Jaden Bradley in five, and four more in one or two. The four with none are Darius Acuff Jr., Jayden Quaintance, Karim Lopez and Meleek Thomas.
Key Takeaways
- Rookie base cards: 45, numbered 256 (AJ Dybantsa) to 300 (Jaden Bradley).
- Rookie autograph lists: 9, from 19 to 40 lines each; 14 autograph lists in all.
- Rookie relic lists: 5; 38 of the 45 rookies are in at least one.
- Biggest gap: No. 7 pick Darius Acuff Jr. has no autograph or relic line.
- Box hits: one autograph or relic per hobby box on average, per Topps' box.
- Release date: November 5 on Topps' UK calendar and product page (read October 10), with Mega boxes November 12 per DK Network and Checklist Insider; an older Ripped guide said October 22.
Overview: the checklist and the draft class
Topps' checklist PDF carries 10-9-26 in its file name and the caveat that it reflects "the intended configuration of that product at the time of production, but actual contents and odds may vary." It tags 45 base cards as rookies, from "256 AJ Dybantsa Washington Wizards Rookie" to "300 Jaden Bradley Toronto Raptors Rookie." Topps' own Ripped guide counts "40 rookies," so the two Topps documents differ; we use the PDF.
The numbering tracks the draft. NBA.com's results open: "The 2026 NBA Draft is complete, with the Washington Wizards selecting AJ Dybantsa from BYU with the No. 1 overall pick." Cards 256 to 290 match picks 1 to 35 in order, so every first-round pick has a base rookie card. The teams on the cards follow draft-night trades: pick 13, Nate Ament, was drafted by Miami and "Traded to Milwaukee," and his card reads Milwaukee Bucks.
Our 2026-27 Topps Flagship Basketball checklist guide covers the whole set and all seven box formats. This page is only about rookie autographs and relics. You can filter rookies on the Flagship Basketball checklist page.
Chart: RookieDesk, counted from Topps' 2026-27 Flagship Basketball checklist PDF (downloaded October 11, 2026)
The nine rookie autograph lists
Every line in these lists ends in "Rookie":
- Flagship Real One Rookie Autograph: 40 lines, the widest list. It is the only autograph for Richie Saunders, Isaiah Evans and Jack Kayil.
- 1981-82 Topps Chrome Basketball Rookie Autographs: 39.
- Level Up Signatures: 39.
- New Applicants Autographs: 39.
- Rookie Photo Shoot Autographs: 39.
- 1981-82 Topps Basketball Rookie Autographs: 38.
- Rookie Pathway Signatures: 20.
- Rookie Photo Shoot Dual Autograph: 20 lines, two rookies per card.
- Signed: 19.
The other five autograph lists have no Rookie tag: 1981-82 Topps Basketball Autographs and 1981-82 Topps Chrome Basketball Veteran Autographs (47 each), Flagship Real One Autograph and Game Script (46 each) and Contemporary Marks (45). If you are chasing a rookie signature, only the nine lists above matter.
GODEEPER: How rookie cards are defined and how Topps marks them, across baseball, football and basketball. Rookie Cards Explained: RC Logo, 1st Bowman and 2026 Classes →
Who signs: the rookies ranked by autograph lists
Chart: RookieDesk, counted from Topps' checklist PDF
Eight of nine lists (20 rookies). The top of the draft: AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, Cameron Boozer, Caleb Wilson, Keaton Wagler, Mikel Brown Jr., Kingston Flemings, Morez Johnson Jr., Brayden Burries and Yaxel Lendeborg, plus ten more first-round picks. Checklist Insider says its "key rookies include AJ Dybantsa, Caleb Wilson, Cameron Boozer, Darryn Peterson and Keaton Wagler, among others," and notes "a new RC logo compared to last year."
Seven of nine (16 rookies). Mostly late first and second round picks, including Ebuka Okorie, Allen Graves, Labaron Philon Jr., Zuby Ejiofor, Tarris Reed Jr., Alex Karaban, Trevon Brazile and Braden Smith. Of the 30 first-round picks, 27 are in seven or eight lists.
Five or fewer. Jaden Bradley, card 300 and pick 50, is in five. Bruce Thornton is in two, the Real One Rookie Autograph and Rookie Photo Shoot Autographs. Saunders, Evans and Kayil are in one.
The four rookies with no autograph or relic
Chart: RookieDesk. Lists from Topps' checklist PDF; picks from NBA.com's draft results (both read October 11, 2026)
NBA.com lists "7. Sacramento Kings draft Darius Acuff Jr. (Arkansas)," and Acuff's base card is 262. On Topps' checklist he also appears in inserts such as the 1981-82 Topps Basketball set, but in none of the 14 autograph lists and none of the 8 relic lists. Jayden Quaintance (pick 20, card 275), Karim Lopez (pick 21, card 276; NBA.com spells it López) and Meleek Thomas (pick 34, card 289) are in the same position.
The checklist does not explain why. It is a pre-release document, and Topps' caveat says contents "may vary," so treat this as the state of the 10-9-26 file, not a final answer. The contrast runs the other way too: two later draftees with no base card, Baba Miller (pick 36) and Otega Oweh, are tagged Rookie and sign in six and five rookie autograph lists, including "SG-BM Baba Miller Los Angeles Clippers Rookie" in Signed.
Rookie relics, and how often you get a hit
Five relic lists are rookie only: Rise to the Occasion Relics and Rookie Roundball Remnants (40 each), Flagship Real One Rookie Relic (38), Franchise Fabrics and Woven Relics (20 each). 36 of the 45 rookies are in four of them, Tobi Lawal is in five and Tyler Nickel in three. Seven rookies have no relic: the four above plus Thornton, Saunders and Evans. Jack Kayil is the odd case, with one autograph list but four relic lists. Our guide to what a relic card is explains the wording on these cards.
How often any of this comes out of a box is not on the checklist. The hobby box itself says "LOOK FOR 1 AUTOGRAPH* OR RELIC CARD PER BOX ON AVERAGE!" and Topps Ripped's guide says the Hobby Jumbo Box has "one autograph and one relic in every box."
Product image: Topps
Topps had not posted an odds sheet for this product when we last read its pages on October 10, so there is no official 1:N line for any rookie autograph yet. Our guide to reading sports card odds explains what to look for once it appears.
Release date and presale
Topps' own pages have given two dates. Topps Ripped's guide, dated September 28, says "Street date: October 22, 2026." Topps' UK release calendar, read October 10, lists "Thursday, 5 Nov 2026-27 Topps Flagship Basketball," and the UK product page read "Available November 5." Checklist Insider, updated October 18, also says "Release Date: November 5, 2026." DK Network's October calendar, updated October 17, agrees: "The entire 2026-27 Topps Flagship Basketball release has moved out of October," with Hobby, Jumbo, Value Box and Blackout Blaster boxes on November 5 and Mega boxes on November 12. Topps' US release calendar, saved October 11, covers October 11 to October 25 and does not list the product. Our release calendar carries November 5 and will change if Topps does. Checklist Insider also reports that "Topps presales began on October 6, 2026, including Hobby ($169.99), Jumbo ($339.99), Mega ($59.99) and Value Blaster ($29.99) boxes."
Community: a slow road to presale
Collectors on r/basketballcards tracked the delays. u/aFriendlyAlien wrote on September 28: "Topps Flagship has been delayed a 2nd Time." and listed the moves, "Moved it to the 29th Moved it again to October 6th." (post) After ordering on October 6, u/One-Snow8184 wrote: "Release date is Oct 22, so I'm trying to figure out how this actually works." (post) Both are personal posts.
Our take
From Topps' checklist and NBA.com's draft results: if you want a rookie autograph from this set, most of the first round is well covered. Twenty rookies are in eight of the nine rookie lists, and 27 of the 30 first-rounders are in seven or eight. The surprise is Darius Acuff Jr.: a top-10 pick with a base rookie card but no autograph or relic line. Check the final checklist before you chase him, Quaintance, Lopez or Thomas in this product. This is a count of checklist lines, not print runs, odds or value.
Frequently Asked Questions
The six questions below cover which rookies sign, Darius Acuff Jr., the number of rookie autograph sets, hits per hobby box, rookie relics and the release date.
Which rookies have autographs in 2026-27 Topps Flagship Basketball?
41 of the 45 base-set rookies appear in at least one of the nine rookie autograph lists on Topps' checklist PDF. 20 of them, including AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, Cameron Boozer and Caleb Wilson, are in eight of the nine lists.
Does Darius Acuff Jr. have an autograph in 2026-27 Topps Flagship Basketball?
Not on the checklist Topps posted (file dated 10-9-26). Acuff, the No. 7 pick, has a base rookie card, number 262, and several inserts, but no autograph or relic line. The same is true for Jayden Quaintance, Karim Lopez and Meleek Thomas.
How many rookie autograph sets are in 2026-27 Topps Flagship?
Nine lists where every line is tagged Rookie, from Flagship Real One Rookie Autograph (40 lines) to Signed (19). The checklist has 14 autograph lists in all; the other five are veterans and retired players.
How many autographs are in a 2026-27 Topps Flagship hobby box?
Topps prints 'look for 1 autograph or relic card per box on average' on the hobby box, and its Ripped guide says the jumbo box has one autograph and one relic. Topps had not posted an odds sheet when we last checked.
Are there rookie relic cards in 2026-27 Topps Flagship Basketball?
Yes. Five relic lists are rookie only: Flagship Real One Rookie Relic (38), Rise to the Occasion Relics (40), Rookie Roundball Remnants (40), Franchise Fabrics (20) and Woven Relics (20). 38 of the 45 base rookies are in at least one.
When does 2026-27 Topps Flagship Basketball release?
Topps' UK release calendar and product page listed Thursday, November 5, 2026 when we read them on October 10. DK Network's calendar, updated October 17, puts Hobby, Jumbo, Value Box and Blackout Blaster boxes on November 5 and Mega boxes on November 12. Topps Ripped's older guide, dated September 28, gave October 22. Release dates can move, so check Topps' calendar in release week.
How we checked this
We downloaded Topps' checklist PDF (10-9-26 in the file name) from Topps' CDN on October 11, 2026; it matches the October 10 copy byte for byte. We split the PDF text by the section headings Topps prints and counted which of the 45 base-set rookies appear in each autograph and relic list. Draft picks come from NBA.com's results page, read October 11. Box guarantees come from the box image and Topps Ripped's guide (read October 10). Release dates and presale prices come from Topps Ripped and Checklist Insider (secondary). Reddit posts were read on their RSS feed on October 11 and are personal views. We have not opened this product. Full source table: data/sources/2026-27-topps-flagship-basketball-rookie-autographs.sources.md.
References
- Topps checklist (PDF): https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0662/9749/5709/files/Copy_of_2026-27_Topps_Flagship_Basketball_Checklist_10-9-26.xls_-_Compatibility_Mode.pdf?v=1791570579
- Topps Ripped, 2026-27 Flagship Basketball box guide: https://ripped.topps.com/2026-27-topps-flagship-basketball-which-box-is-best/
- Topps release calendar (US): https://www.topps.com/release-calendar
- Topps release calendar (UK): https://uk.topps.com/release-calendar
- NBA.com, 2026 NBA Draft results: https://www.nba.com/news/2026-nba-draft-order
- Checklist Insider, 2026-27 Topps Flagship Basketball (secondary): https://www.checklistinsider.com/2026-27-topps-flagship-basketball
- Reddit r/basketballcards, preorder delays: https://www.reddit.com/r/basketballcards/comments/1wsog81/just_a_heads_up_topps_flagship_basketball/
Related Reading
- Numbered Cards Explained: What /99, /25 and 1/1 Mean: what the serial number on a rookie autograph means.
- PSA Grading Fees 2026: Every Tier, Price and Turnaround: what grading a rookie autograph costs.
About the author
Editorial desk
The RookieDesk desk. We read the paperwork before you open the box: Topps' checklists and odds sheets, the box art, grader fee pages. Every number links to its source and carries the date we checked it.
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Disclaimer
RookieDesk publishes data, not investment or financial advice. Odds are the manufacturer's published odds, not a promise of what any one box contains. Checklists, release dates, grading fees and prices change after publication; each one here carries the date we checked it. Confirm critical details with the manufacturer, grader or seller before you buy or submit. RookieDesk is independent and not affiliated with any card manufacturer, league or players association, and carries no affiliate links, ads or sponsored posts; see our independence note. Articles are researched and written with AI tools, and every fact is checked against its cited source before publishing; see how we use AI.