Looking Back at LeBron James’ Topps Chrome Basketball Cards
With Topps making its licensed return to the basketball card industry for the 2025-26 trading card year, most NBA players are getting their first Topps Chrome cards in the new release.
But there are a handful of players who previously had licensed Topps Chrome cards – most notably LeBron James, who made his first appearance on the popular chromium brand in 2003.
In celebration of LeBron’s legendary career and Topps Chrome’s return, let’s take a look back at the LeBron James’ Topps Chrome basketball cards.
2003-04 Topps Chrome #111 RC
Rookies in the 2003-04 Topps flagship base set had photos taken at the NBA Draft, but Topps swapped those out for preseason action photos in Topps Chrome. LeBron’s rookie card shows him taking a jumper over Detroit’s Ben Wallace – a fitting pairing of two players who would become rivals throughout the rest of the decade. The image hails from a preseason game played on October 7, 2003, and has helped make this one of LeBron’s most popular base rookie cards.
Parallels: Base Refractor, Black Refractor (/500), X-Fractor (/220), and Gold Refractor (/50).
- Shop for LeBron’s 2003-04 Topps Chrome cards on eBay
2004-05 Topps Chrome #23
It only took one year for Topps to give LeBron a slot on the checklist that matched his jersey number. On Card #23, LeBron is seen slamming home a breakaway dunk early in the action against the Los Angeles Lakers on February 4, 2004. Derek Fisher, Rick Fox, and Shaquille O’Neal can all be seen in the background watching the 19-year-old rookie showcase his skills.
Parallels: Base Refractor, Black Refractor (/500), X-Fractor (/110), Gold Refractor (/50), and Superfractor (1/1).
- Shop for LeBron’s 2004-05 Topps Chrome cards on eBay
2005-06 Topps Chrome #102
Big-time action continues on LeBron’s 2005 Topps Chrome card. Seen in a “Hardwood Classics” game against the Orlando Magic on March 8, 2005, LeBron donned a retro uniform and slammed home this breakaway dunk during a 111-92 victory.
Parallels: Refractor (/999), Black Refractor (/399), Gold Refractor (/99), Blue X-Fractor (/90), and Superfractor (1/1).
- Shop for LeBron’s 2005-06 Topps Chrome cards on eBay
2006-07 Topps Chrome #67
Yet again throwing down a monster slam dunk, LeBron appears against his future team – the Miami Heat – on his 2006 Topps Chrome card. Alonzo Mourning becomes LeBron’s poster victim on this card, which features action from James’ 47-point performance on March 12, 2006.
Parallels: Base Refractor, Black Refractor (/99), Gold Refractor (/25), X-Fractor (/10), and Superfractor (1/1).
- Shop for LeBron’s 2006-07 Topps Chrome cards on eBay
2007-08 Topps Chrome #23
Back at slot #23 on the checklist, LeBron is also back in action against the Lakers on his 2007 Topps Chrome issue. In a road game at the Staples Center on February 15, 2007, LeBron had 38 points – including two from the breakaway slam depicted on this card. To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the 1957-58 Topps Basketball set, the company issued ’57 Variations of select players, LeBron included. That card features an alternate image of James putting up a jumper.
Parallels: Base Refractor (/999), Orange Refractor (/199), White Refractor (/99), X-Fractor (/50), and Superfractor (1/1).
- Shop for LeBron’s 2007-08 Topps Chrome cards on eBay
2008-09 Topps Chrome #23
Among the many things collectors associate with LeBron James, his chalk toss is right near the top, so it’s natural that Topps would capture that action on a trading card. LeBron’s 2008 Topps Chrome card shows him preparing to face the Portland Trail Blazers on the road on January 30, 2008, by tossing excess talcum powder into the air.
Parallels: Base Refractor, Orange Refractor (/499), X-Fractor (/288), Gold Refractor (/50), Red Refractor (/5), and Superfractor (1/1).
- Shop for LeBron’s 2008-09 Topps Chrome cards on eBay
2009-10 Topps Chrome #16
Topps finishes out LeBron’s early-career run of Topps Chrome cards with another monster dunk. This big play hails from Game 4 of the first round of the 2009 NBA playoffs – only the second time LeBron and the Cavs had swept a postseason series. But he wouldn’t be seen on a Topps Chrome card for more than a decade after the NBA granted an exclusive license to Panini in ’09. The 2009 Topps Chrome cards are numbered to /999 and were inserted alongside the flagship Topps cards.
Parallels: Base Refractor (/500), Gold Refractor (/50), and Superfractor (1/1).
- Shop for LeBron’s 2009-10 Topps Chrome cards on eBay
2023-24 Topps Chrome #23
By the time LeBron was back on a Topps Chrome card in 2023-24, he had spent four years with the Miami Heat, returned to the Cavaliers for four seasons, went to the West Coast to join the Lakers, and was a four-time NBA champion. Topps rejoined the basketball fray that year – albeit with unlicensed cards – but one of the main focuses was on LeBron, who left Upper Deck’s roster of exclusive athletes to join Fanatics and had pack-pulled autographs available for the first time in many years. Unlike LeBron’s Topps Chrome cards from before, his base example in this set has 27 parallels.
- Shop for LeBron’s 2023-24 Topps Chrome cards on eBay
2024-25 Topps Chrome #22
LeBron’s 2024-25 Topps Chrome issue has the most stagnant image among his full run, but the eccentric background adds some flair to the card. Again, this set was only licensed by the NBA Players’ Association, so no team logos appear on the card, which has 31 parallel versions.
- Shop for LeBron’s 2024-25 Topps Chrome cards on eBay
Bonus: 2008-09 Topps Chrome #24 Kobe Bryant w/ LeBron James
LeBron James and Kobe Bryant put on a show for a national audience on January 27, 2008. Playing at the Staples Center on a Sunday afternoon, Kobe had 33 points and 12 rebounds, but LeBron put up 41 points and played tight defense on Bryant all game long (as seen on the card) to help the Cavs pull out a thrilling 98-95 victory. This card became an instant classic and gained further notoriety after Bryant’s sudden death in a helicopter crash in 2020.
- Shop for Bryant’s 2008-09 Topps Chrome cards on eBay
