The 1998-99 basketball calendar year was chock full of great rookies including future Hall of Famers Toronto Raptors all time great dunk artist Vince Carter, Dallas Mavericks iconic forward Dirk Nowitzki, Boston Celtics superstar scoring machine Paul Pierce and others.
The flagship Topps set flew a bit under the radar with all of the higher end products being offered that year. Collectors were enamored with SP Authentic, SPx Finite and even big brother Topps Chrome ahead of the paper Topps set. That changed during the pandemic as people went back to the flagship brand with some 20 years late appreciation for those simple gold bordered beauties.
One of the more under the radar, less talked about but attractive inserts from 1998-99 Topps basketball was the Legacies set. Inserted at a rate of just one in every 36 Series 2 packs, it was a challenge to put together.
The card fronts featured a background with a bright silver shine that offered half of a basketball at the bottom of the card and various shapes and lights protruding towards the top of the card with crisscrossing lines that vaguely resembled a basketball net and some thick cement-like textured shapes shining in the background. There was a full color image of the player in the center of the card. The player’s name was listed in gold towards the bottom with a classy looking Legacies logo coupled with the iconic Topps logo below it.
The backs included a full color image of the player on the left hand side that took up nearly half of the card.
There are two segments of the information for each player. One is listed as Style and the second listed as Substance with each offering information about the player. The team logo is also found in the upper left hand corner of the card.
The 15-card set leads off with Scottie Pippen, who is pictured as a member of the Chicago Bulls but had actually moved on to Houston as part of a sign and trade deal. With the NBA lockout in place, Pippen didn’t join Houston until January, long after the cards had been printed.
The second card features Detroit Pistons young stud Grant Hill dribbling the ball up the court looking a bit disgusted as his options on the offensive end of the floor.
The third card in the set features Houston Rockets HOF center Hakeem Olajuwon ripping a rebound out of mid air in his Rockets pinstripe uniform.
The fourth card features a powerful one handed jam by Miami Heat center Alonzo Mourning, who was the league’s Defensive Player of the Year for the shortened ’98-99 season, averaging nearly four blocks per game.
Spot number five in the set features the sizeable backside of one of the biggest and baddest to ever do it in Los Angeles Lakers center Shaquille O’Neal. Shaq Diesel is putting his two huge hands around the ball, taking control of the situation.
Then Cleveland Cavaliers big man Shawn Kemp featured at card number six, posting is posting up in the paint, calling for the rock.
Card number seven features Seattle Super Sonics Hall of Fame point guard Gary Payton releasing a jump shot. Payton was named to the NBA’s All-Defense first team that year, an honor he captured nine times.
The eighth card in the set features Utah Jazz power forward Karl Malone laying the ball in at the rim for two of his 30,000 plus career points. Malone was the league’s MVP in ’98-99.
Card number nine features New York Knicks all time great center Patrick Ewing. Pat is seen taking a jumper over his defender, Aussie center Luc Longley. 
The tenth card in the set features the king of the Killer Crossover, Miami Heat point guard Tim Hardaway, a second team all-NBA pick.
Coming in at the eleventh card in the set is Indiana Pacers sharp shooter Reggie Miller releasing his classic shot. Miller made 91.5% of his free throws that season but the Pacers lost to the Ewing’s Knicks in the Eastern Conference Finals.
The 12th card in the set features another great shooter from the era in Charlotte Hornets forward Glen Rice. Rice is also found doing what he does best.
The 13th card in Topps Legacies features Atlanta Hawks center of defensive dominance Dikembe Mutombo grabbing a rebound. He was second team All-Defense in ’99.
Utah Jazz point guard and all time assist leader John Stockton is the 14th card in the set. The image is a classic shot of Stockton being hounded by Hardaway.
Michael Jordan rounds out the set, with the image showing the release of his classic fadeaway jumper. Jordan, though, wouldn’t play a minute of that shortened season, announcing his second retirement on January 13, 1999.
Many of the cards in the 1998-99 Topps Legacies set can be had in raw form for $5-$20 each.
Not surprisingly, the shining star of the set is the Jordan card. A raw copy usually fetches around $200. Most wind up being graded and you can expect to pay a few hundred dollars for one at the NM/MT level. A PSA 10 example sold for $2,500 in May, while a pair of BGS 9.5s netted a little under $900 in June.
The set won’t top most lists of the best of the decade but it does have a unique, stylish look and a checklist that offers a prime glimpse into the best players of the era.
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