The Basketball Card Game is a fun, competitive card game that can be played with 2 or more managers. While the game was originally played with basketball cards, it has evolved to allow for creative variations, from pen and paper to Zoom and Excel.
The objective is to build a team of basketball players and accumulate statistical points across different categories to outscore your opponent. The team with the most points wins. A variety of rules can be set before playing, such as roster sizes, positions, draft guidelines, scoring systems, and more.
Each manager assembles a team of 5 basketball cards consisting of:
2 guards
2 forwards
1 center
Each player’s card should include their career averages for the following categories:
PPG
FG%
FT%
REB
AST
STL
BLK
Teams are then arranged by position and height (with weight serving as a tiebreaker if heights are the same). Players in each position are matched head-to-head against their counterparts on the opposing team. For example:
Centers are matched against each other
Taller forwards compete against each other
Shorter forwards compete against each other
Taller guards face off against each other
Shorter guards face off against each other
The player with the higher career statistic in each category scores points for their team:
PPG = 2 points
All other categories = 1 point
There are a total of 40 points up for grabs. The team with the most points wins.
Games can be played in various formats, tailored to the preferences and skill levels of the players. While the scoring system remains consistent, draft rules and roster sizes can be adjusted for more advanced gameplay.
With Basketball Cards (Offline)
Draft: Randomly select a large pool of cards and place them face up, with stats hidden. Managers alternate selecting players until each team is complete.
Team: Managers assemble teams from their own basketball card collections. Players on a team must belong to the same NBA team.
Without Basketball Cards (Online)
Honor System: To maintain fairness, managers should not research players beforehand. Managers can choose whether to use career averages or stats from a specific year. Online resources should be used to reference player statistics.
Game Formats:
Specific Year/Time Period: Select a random year or time period. Managers draft players from memory who played during that time.
Draft Class: Pick a random draft class (e.g., via Wikipedia), then alternate drafting players from that class until both teams are filled.
Divisional (Conferences): Pick a conference (East or West), then draft players from that conference. You can set a specific time period or year before drafting.
Forfeits & Mulligans:
If a manager selects a player who didn’t play in the specified year, they forfeit that pick until the end of the draft. Standard rules allow for 2 mulligans, but this can be adjusted before the game.
If a card lacks all 8 statistical categories, the manager may replace it. Players from the pre-1973 era, who lack STL or BLK stats, will automatically lose those categories.
Most basketball cards display stats like FG% and FT% to the thousandths decimal place, and REB, AST, STL, and BLK to the tenth decimal. If two players tie in a category, each team receives 0.5 points. This should not be an issue for online games as stats can be calculated precisely.
Managers must agree on a source for player positions, either from the card for offline games or an agreed-upon website for online games.
Team Sizes:
5 Players (Minimum): 2 guards, 2 forwards, 1 center
12 Players (Standard NBA Roster): 4 guards, 4 forwards, 2 centers, and 2 of any position.
Some cards may list two positions. Managers can decide which position to assign to that player.
If playing by a specific year, agree on how to determine a player’s position in advance.
For a more modern twist, managers can play without positions, creating matchups by height instead.
Managers should be prepared to perform basic calculations. If a card displays career totals, managers will need to divide the total by games played to get averages.
Each player should include their career averages for:
PPG
FG%
FT%
REB
AST
STL
BLK
Additional Statistic Notes:
Managers may opt to include other categories like 3PM or 3FG% in their scoring system.