CGC Featured Card of the Month: 2020-21 Donruss Optic #171 Tyrese Maxey Rookie Card

Sport: Basketball

Set: 2020-21 Donruss Optic

Card: #171 Tyrese Maxey Rookie Card

What makes it special? When the Philadelphia 76ers selected Tyrese Maxey with the 21st overall pick of the 2020 NBA Draft, they hoped he'd complement a perennial playoff team led by All-Star Joel Embiid. Yet it didn't take Maxey long to earn a larger role alongside Embiid and other All-Stars like James Harden and Paul George. By his second season in Philly, he became a starter and his statistics continued to improve each season. Now in his sixth pro season with the 76ers, Maxey is fulfilling his potential and has become a focal point of the team's offense, currently ranking third in scoring average (31.5 points per game) and eighth in assists (7.2 per game) as of early December.

The first sign of Maxey's potential came early in his college career when he played for the Kentucky Wildcats. He made his college debut in Madison Square Garden against Michigan State, where he came off the bench to score 26 points in a 69-62 victory. Although his freshman season was cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic, he was named to both the All-SEC Second Team and the SEC All-Freshman Team before declaring for the draft.

Each season in Philadelphia, Maxey has steadily improved, increasing his points per game every season he's been in the league. By the 2023-24 season, Maxey was a go-to option for the team, becoming an All-Star for the first time in his pro career and receiving the 2024 NBA Most Improved Player Award.

Although his next season was cut short because of an injury to his hand, he has solidified himself as a franchise player and a team leader in Philadelphia. Still only 25 years old, Maxey has earned his place among the league's elite as one of the NBA's brightest young stars. After making the playoffs for seven straight seasons from 2018 to 2024, the 76ers missed out last year. So far this season, Maxey has been one of the most lethal offensive players in the league. His leadership and offensive output are vital as he hopes to lead Philadelphia back to the postseason and to make a run at the NBA Finals for the first time since 2001.

Did you know? Since entering the NBA in 2020, Maxey has already made Philadelphia 76ers history with some of his performances. During his first career start, he scored 39 points, which was the most points by a rookie in their first start since 1970 and the most points by any 76ers player since Allen Iverson. In his second season, Maxey became the youngest Philadelphia player to score 30 or more points in a postseason game when he posted 38 points. In Maxey's third season, he became only the third Sixers player to score at least 40 points in a game before the age of 23, tying two other 76ers players for the most three-pointers made in a game with nine.

The young guard has also scored 50-plus points multiple times now in his career. Maxey became only the sixth 76ers player to ever earn 50-plus points, 5-plus rebounds and 5-plus assists in a single game. In addition, he also joined Iverson as the only other Sixer to score 50-plus points at the age of 23 or younger and became the second player in Philadelphia history to record at least 50 points and nine assists in a game after NBA legend Wilt Chamberlain.

Total graded by CGC Cards: There are 177 graded examples of the standard card in the CGC Cards Population Report, as of early December 2025. CGC Cards has also graded parallels of the same card: Fanatics Exclusive Set (65), Blue Velocity (23), Hyper Pink (21), Holo (17), Green Pulsar (14), Pulsar (14), Purple Shock (9), Purple (8), Purple Pulsar (4), Fast Break Holo (3), Signatures (3), Purple Signatures (3), Red Pulsar (3), Choice (2), Choice Red & Green (2), Lime Green (2), Orange (2), Premium Box Set (2), Blue Pulsar (1), Checkerboard (1), Fast Break Red (1), Pink Velocity (1) and Red Wave (1).

CGC Cards median grade: CGC 9

CGC Cards highest graded: Out of 177 total graded base card examples, 22 have earned CGC Gem Mint 10, while only one parallel earned a higher grade of CGC Pristine 10: the Choice pictured above. No base set or parallel cards have received the coveted CGC Pristine 10 grade.

Sales highlights: A few examples of the 2020-21 Donruss Optic #171 rookie card and its many parallels have sold through Fanatics Collect, with one base card graded CGC 9 selling on the platform in November 2023 that realized $9.60. Parallels that have sold on Fanatics Collect include a Blue Velocity graded CGC 9.5 that realized $24 in April 2024 and a Purple Shock graded CGC 9 that realized $16.80 in January 2024.

CGC Cards Registry: This card is part of the 2020-21 Donruss Optic category, where the third-place set has a base #171 Tyrese Maxey graded CGC 9.5.

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