1974 Topps #39 Bill Walton RC: The No. 1 Pick's Rookie Card, and Three PSA 10s in 2,083
Bill Walton's rookie card came out for a rookie season in which he played 35 games. The 1974 Topps #39 is the first card of the No. 1 pick in the 1974 draft, and it shows him bearded and in a Blazers uniform, ready for a season that injuries cut short.
The Player
Before Portland, there was UCLA. The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame calls Walton "one of the greatest college basketball players in history." He led the Bruins to two national championships and an 88-game winning streak, and he was a three-time National College Player of the Year. In the 1973 title game he scored 44 points on 21-of-22 shooting.
The Hall's description of his game is about more than scoring. Walton was "a superb rebounder and outlet passer to start the fast break," with a jump hook he could shoot with either hand. "Above all," the Hall says, "the big redhead set the tone for his teammates."
The Trail Blazers took him first overall in the 1974 NBA Draft, and he made his debut on Oct. 18, 1974. Injuries limited his rookie season to 35 games. In those games he averaged 12.8 points, 12.6 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 2.7 blocks.
The Card
The design is simple. Walton's portrait fills the frame, with "BLAZERS" running down the right edge in tall pink letters and his position, "CENTER," printed on a basketball in the lower corner. PSA lists it as his rookie card.
The pictured copy is a PSA NM-MT 8, certification number 12065794. It is one of 511 copies at that grade. PSA's cert page counts 172 copies graded higher. That figure includes the 11 half-point 8.5s, 110 straight 9s, 48 qualified 9s and 3 tens below.
PSA Population Report
| PSA Grade | Population |
|---|---|
| PSA 10 | 3 |
| PSA 9 | 110 |
| PSA 8 | 511 |
| Total Graded (All Grades) | 2,083 |
* Population data as of October 24, 2026. PSA population counts are dynamic and increase as more cards are submitted for grading.
The Shape of the Population
Walton's population climbs at every grade up to PSA 8 and then falls off sharply:
- PSA 1: 10
- PSA 2: 24
- PSA 3: 74
- PSA 4: 234
- PSA 5: 275
- PSA 6: 408
- PSA 7: 432
- PSA 8: 511
- PSA 9: 110
- PSA 10: 3
The peak is at PSA 8, the grade of the pictured slab. More copies of this card have been graded 8 than any other single grade. Only 3 of the 2,083 copies in the total have reached a 10. The total also includes two copies PSA graded Authentic, with no number grade.
The qualifiers say something about the cards that missed. On top of the straight grades, PSA has given 213 copies a qualified grade. That is a number grade with a defect noted on the label. Of those, 96 are qualified 8s and 48 are qualified 9s. Next to the 110 straight 9s, that is 48 more copies that earned a 9 but carry a qualifier. Another 43 copies carry half grades. Counting every slab, PSA has graded 2,339 copies of the card.
What Came After
Walton's best years came quickly. In 1977 his "deft passing, shooting, jumping, and running skills," in the Hall's words, carried Portland to the NBA championship, and he was named Finals MVP. He was the league's MVP the following season, in which he played 58 games. Then the foot injuries that had followed him took over. He missed all of 1978-79 and never played for Portland again. The Hall of Fame puts it plainly: "chronic foot and knee injuries prohibited Walton from enjoying an extended professional career."
His career had a late second act. Coming off the bench for the Boston Celtics, he won the Sixth Man award in 1985-86 and a second championship that spring. The Hall of Fame inducted him in 1993. He died on May 27, 2024, at 71.
The 1974 Topps #39 shows Walton at the start of a career built on two titles, an MVP and a long fight with his own feet. Its population peaks at PSA 8, and in a total of 2,083 it holds just three tens.
