Upper Deck Made Michael Jordan Its First-Ever Legacy Partner. Here’s Why It Took 35 Years.

Michael Jordan is getting another milestone, and it has nothing to do with a basketball.

Upper Deck, the trading card and memorabilia giant, just named Jordan its first Legacy Partner. The move formalizes a relationship that started in 1991, which makes it the longest-running deal between an athlete and a memorabilia company in the business. That is not a small thing.

The company is launching a campaign around it. The tagline: “You Don’t Trade Greatness, You Keep It For A Lifetime.” And to kick things off, Upper Deck is auctioning a factory-sealed 23-card pack of 1986-87 Fleer Basketball cards, each one signed by Jordan himself. That pack surfaced as part of the 2026 Goodwin Champions event at Certified Diamond Dealers.

Gabriel Garcia, Upper Deck’s Senior Director, talked to ClutchPoints about why Jordan still matters this many years later. “I think he’s very nostalgic for a lot of people,” Garcia said. “But there are people who never got to see him play. It’s been 20-plus years since anybody has seen Michael Jordan on the court, and to keep that enhanced brand and that everlasting value on anything he touches and works on is pretty incredible.”

Think about that for a second. Jordan last stepped on an NBA floor in 2003. A whole generation of collectors and fans never watched him live. Yet his market value hasn’t dipped. If anything, it’s climbed. That doesn’t happen with most retired athletes.

Why Jordan over everyone else

Upper Deck has been in business with some of the biggest names in sports. Tiger Woods. Wayne Gretzky. LeBron James. They’ve all had deals. But Jordan is the one getting the Legacy Partner title first.

“There was no doubt regarding Michael being the first legacy partner made complete hundred percent sense,” Garcia said.

Part of that is longevity. Part of it is sheer icon status. Jordan’s name, image and likeness still overshadow almost every active athlete today. Upper Deck knows that. Auctioning a sealed pack with his autograph isn’t just a marketing stunt. It’s a signal that Jordan is still the most valuable card in the deck.

The auction itself is probably going to draw serious money. Single Jordan autograph cards have sold for six figures before. A full sealed pack with his signature from the 1986-87 Fleer set, which is already one of the most iconic basketball card releases ever? That could get interesting.

Upper Deck hasn’t announced how long the Legacy Partner campaign will run or what else might come out of it. But given how long they’ve stuck with Jordan, don’t expect this to be a one-off thing.