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The 2025-26 season is a busy one for basketball card collectors. Whether you chase NBA stars, WNBA veterans, or college standouts, there are sets at every price level and format. The landscape is shifting a bit this year, so a quick overview helps before you dive in.

Topps now holds the exclusive license to make NBA cards for 2025-26 and beyond. That exclusive covers team names and logos on NBA products. Other companies can still produce basketball cards through the NBA Players Association, but they cannot use official NBA team marks. Autograph exclusives add another layer. Some players sign autograph deals that limit where licensed signatures can appear. Victor Wembanyama, for example, has an exclusive autograph arrangement with Fanatics, which shaped where his licensed autos could be found until this year. Luka Doncic has an exclusive autograph deal with Panini, so he is not on the 2025-26 Topps flagship autograph checklist.

Panini continues to produce officially licensed WNBA cards. For college products, both Topps and Panini are active under their NCAA agreements. That means you will see NBA, WNBA, and NCAA releases across different brands with different checklists and pack formats.

If you need checklists, release dates, early product info, or paths to price guides for 2025-26 basketball cards, this guide keeps it in one place. Dates move frequently, and most dates listed are for hobby releases. Retail or special editions can land earlier or later. New products will be added as they are announced. If a set does not appear here, it has not been formally announced yet and there is no confirmed timeline.

Nothing new is scheduled to arrive this week, but several products are on deck. Below are the upcoming releases with planned dates, a short note on what to expect, and common box formats. Checklists and deeper set details are typically posted close to launch.

2025 Donruss WNBA
Release date: October 16, 2025
What to know: A staple WNBA release with a large base set, inserts that highlight league storylines, and a mix of autographs and parallels depending on configuration.
Where people shop: Hobby boxes, mega boxes, blaster boxes

2025-26 Topps Basketball
Release date: October 23, 2025
What to know: Topps’ flagship return to NBA licensing brings a robust base checklist, classic Topps insert themes updated for the modern era, and chase hits that should anchor early season NBA collecting. Expect hobby and jumbo configurations, with additional retail formats to follow.
Where people shop: Hobby boxes, jumbo boxes, mega boxes, value boxes

2025 Panini Prizm WNBA
Release date: October 30, 2025
What to know: Prizm remains a core chromium option for WNBA fans, driven by color parallels, silvers, and a familiar rainbow that fuels set building and grading. Autographs and short prints appear in hobby.
Where people shop: Hobby boxes, mega boxes

2025 Panini Impeccable WNBA
Release date: November 6, 2025
What to know: A premium WNBA release focused on on-card signatures, low-numbered parallels, and high-end memorabilia. Impeccable is known for clean designs and metal or insert case hits in select boxes.
Where people shop: Hobby configurations only

Plan around possible date changes, as manufacturers and distributors often adjust calendars. Most checklists lock in close to release day, and retail tends to roll out on a different cadence from hobby. Keep this guide handy, and check back as new sets and finalized checklists are announced so you can track what to rip, what to grade, and what to stash for the long run.