Shaquille O’Neal Cards Are Suddenly Among eBay’s Most-Searched Sports Collectibles

More than a decade and a half after his final NBA game, Shaquille O’Neal is enjoying a surge in the trading-card market, with the Hall of Fame center ranking as the fifth most-searched athlete on eBay’s collectibles platform at the end of August, according to a report by The New York Times’ The Athletic.

O’Neal’s newfound demand places him in rarefied company. He trailed only Michael Jordan, Shohei Ohtani, Kobe Bryant and Cooper Flagg — a group spanning retired legends, baseball’s biggest star and the NBA’s most hyped young arrival. The report notes that O’Neal has arguably been undercollected for years relative to his on-court résumé, which includes four NBA championships, and his enduring presence in popular culture.

What it means for eBay

The uptick in searches underscores the role trading cards and other collectibles continue to play in eBay’s marketplace business. The eBay Inc. platform has long served as the primary venue where card prices are set through auctions and sales, and athlete search rankings are closely watched by collectors and dealers as a barometer of market sentiment. Shares of eBay, classified in the Consumer Cyclical sector within the Internet Retail industry, closed recently at $108.30, down 3.18% from the prior close of $111.86, valuing the company at roughly $46.02 billion.

Collectibles have become an increasingly visible category for the company, which connects buyers and sellers across the United States, the United Kingdom, China, Germany and other international markets. Interest in star athletes — whether contemporary icons like Ohtani and Flagg or legacy figures such as Jordan, Bryant and now O’Neal — helps drive traffic and transaction volume in that segment.

O’Neal’s rise is notable in part because it reflects demand for a player whose career ended years ago, suggesting that collector attention can broaden beyond active stars and rookies. For a retiree to rank among the top five searches alongside the sport’s most prominent current names points to a reevaluation of his standing among hobby participants, as The Athletic’s report framed it.

What to watch

• eBay’s upcoming quarterly earnings report, which will show whether collectibles momentum is contributing to marketplace results.
• Any updated athlete search or sales rankings from eBay in the months ahead.
• Major card auctions or high-profile O’Neal sales that could further signal demand for legacy NBA players.

Source: original release