On October 15, 2022, Mutombo announced that he was undergoing treatment for a brain tumor. He died in Atlanta from brain cancer surrounded by his family on September 30, 2024, at the age of 58
Everyone went absolutely nuts for those things - because basketball cards were a relatively new thing. Sure they made them before - but the production numbers were minimal prior to NBA Hoops coming out in 1989/1990 and then the floodgates opening when the NBA licensed to anyone with a printing press who would give them 25% of the gross take.
Makes me sick the stuff I held on to - versus just selling it all at the peak and buying up 86/87 Jordan’s. I remember when Jordan rookie was pretty range bound at 800-1k. A UD Mutumbo or ‘Zo was like $10 and LJ a little less. What’s 100 of those Mutumbo rookies worth now compared to 1 Jordan ?
Kind of like the ‘54 Aaron I traded once for a couple of 1989 UD sets and a few Griffey’s - Aaron was poor - but authentic. Guy who I traded it to was a Braves fan. This was like 1990 - a few years later he saw me and said “man - you won that deal” - wonder if he’d like to reverse the deal now ?
Moment Jordan stepped away the last time it seems to have went out the window.
Now circa 1988-89 or when the Rockets were winning championships - different story. You simply didn’t out score those “Bad boys” teams or guys like Hakeem, Thorpe, Maxwell and Horry.