My 21 Favorite Series 3 Common NBA Top Shot Moments

As NBA Top Shot collectors around the world eagerly await the first rare and legendary pack drops of Series 3, we’re faced with an abundance of common Moments and common pack drops.

After months of clamoring for packs, because ripping packs is one of the most fun and exciting parts of the NBA Top Shot experience (if not the most fun), we now have the opportunity to do so every week with ease. Pay $9 for a pack, buy more than one if you want, and get three Moments that are, for the most part, worth $9 in combined value.

The worst case scenario is that your $9 pack is worth closer to $6 in resale value, if you decide to immediately resell. If you can’t stomach a $3 loss, this whole NFT thing might not be for you. While that’s not going to make everyone happy, I actually think it’s a pretty healthy system.

Don’t like the S3 common Moments you pulled? Good news! You can:

1. Trade them in for tickets that can be accumulated over time and exchanged for a Series 1 pack, and maybe even more exciting perks and fungible/non-fungible goods in the future.
2. Use them to participate in weekly “Flash Challenges” that gamify fandom and create a fantasy-style contest, with different parameters and conditions based on each night’s games and performances, that can earn collectors a free Series 2 pack when completed.
3. Sell them with a few clicks, in a few seconds, for Dapper balance that can be used to buy the actual Moments you want from players you like. In the case of Series 3, virtually any /60000 mint count player can be acquired for less than $6.

I know you may know that already, but it’s worth spelling out, because that level of utility and flexibility hasn’t existed before on Top Shot, has never existed in the history of sports collectibles, and is a positive step in the right direction towards what many of us have wanted.

Being a Top Shot collector today gives me nostalgia for the “choose your own adventure” books of my childhood. I believe the adventures will get even more ambitious and rewarding, and hope we can all have fun on the journey without becoming too fixated on the destination.

Series 3 commons are as advertised; affordable, available, and accessible.

If your Top Shot relationship revolves around making money, then you might need to recalibrate your expectations for common pack drops, or just skip them altogether and wait for the premium drops, hoping to get lucky in the queue. The occasional rookie debut /4000 Moment or /9999 mint count Moment might be hiding in your pack, which is exciting and maybe even scratches the itch to turn this fun digital collectible habit into a profitable endeavor, but perhaps the biggest surprise hiding inside your next common pack is how excellent and well-curated the Moments themselves are.

I’ve always been one to watch the Moments I pull, regardless of the player, but I’ve come to learn I might actually be in the minority.

So, in case some of you haven’t taken a long, hard look at Series 3 commons, I thought I’d share some of my personal favorites. We asked, loudly and clearly, for higher quality Moment selection. The team has delivered. I’m excited to see what gems are being saved for MGLE, Holo Icon, Deck the Hoops, and the other rare and legendary sets previewed in the S3 Roadmap blog post by the Top Shot team.

The NBA Top Shot Series 3 Roadmap Is Here

Here are my 21 favorite S3 Common Moments from the first 60 days of the 2021–22 NBA season. For the purposes of this article, I’m only focusing on /60000 mint count Moments. Let me know your favorites and what I may have missed!

• For $3, Giannis does that thing where he takes steps that seem to cover an inhuman distance, weaving between defenders, then throws it off the backboard to himself and dunks it in. It’s a 40 point, 16 rebound performance.
• For $3, Devin Booker pulls off one of the sneakiest and saaviest steals you’ll see, then sprints down court for the dish from Mikal Bridges and throws down a casual, effortless reverse jam.
• For $3, Jonas Valanciunas makes the case to be the starting QB for the New Orleans Saints with a pinpoint full-court pass after hauling a rebound; it’s a 22 point, 23 rebound performance in a win.
• For $3, Facundo Campazzo goes through the legs, front to back, in transition, before floating in a layup. It’s a classic foreign-guard trickster move that I love.
• For $3, T.J. McConnell shows off some nifty dribbling and on-off speed to get to the hoop and float in an underhanded layup as he falls to the ground. It’s gritty and glorious.
• For $3, Jarrett Allen, who is low key having a monster season for the surprising Cavs, blurs the line between monster dunk and “throw” as he posterizes Mason Plumlee.
• For $3, KAT goes end-to-end after grabbing a loose ball after a miss and glides to the rim from inside the foul line for a massive dunk.
• For $3, Jayson Tatum (aka your favorite player’s favorite player) puts on a clinic in a 1:1 matchup against Lonzo Ball, maneuvering his way around the defender before dunking it and hanging on the rim for a little extra spice.
• For $6, Steph Curry (the future MVP and Finals MVP of the ‘21–22 season) drains a deep three off a dish, scoring 45 points, hitting 8 threes, and starting the game 10/10 in a win over the Clippers. It’s an iconic thumbnail and the most affordable Steph Moment.

• For $3, Reggie Jackson glides through the air, going up and under around three defenders, for a beautiful layup.
• For $3, Luka Doncic goes around the back as he drives to the rim before throwing a hook pass to everyone’s favorite unicorn, Kristaps, hanging out behind the three point line for a three. It’s a beautiful dish, best served at a price point everyone can afford.
• For $3, Nemanja Bjelica pulls off a series of ball fakes and head fakes before dishing out a mid-air assist to Andrew Wiggins, who drains the three. NB is low-key one of the most important off-season additions that any team has made and has been a huge asset for the Warriors.
• For $3, Javale McGee goes end-to-end for a glorious, majestic, and very “on-brand” dunk.

• For $3, Alex Caruso runs the 2-on-1 fast break with his new bestie, Lonzo Ball, resulting in a delicious alley-oop, in one of the first “oh shit, the Bulls are the real deal” plays of the NBA season. I love this Moment. The Bulls are really fun.
• For $3, Bol Bol. That’s it. What more do you need to hear?
• For $3, Jordan Nwora stuffs Kevin Durant like a Thanksgiving turkey as part of a dominating, wire to wire victory in the Bucks home-opener and ring ceremony.
• For $3, Boban being Boban. So big. So slow. So effective. So good in John Wick 3.
• For $3, Obi Toppin will bring a posterizing dunk to life. Did you know I love Obi Toppin? I can’t get enough.
• For $3, Cole Anthony will perform a give-and-go alley-oop layup on repeat, as many times as you can handle, and it always ends the same way. With two points and a smile.
• For $3, Donovan Mitchell puts Davion Mitchell in a blender, spinning off the defender behind the line and drilling a deep three. It’s the first Mitchell on Mitchell Moment!
• For $3, Harrison Barnes will hit a career high eight threes in a 36 point victory over portland, shooting 73% from behind the arc.

There are so many other good Moments, but these are the ones I wanted to spotlight. I can’t wait to see what’s in store for the collecting community as the season unfolds, from rare and legendary pack drops to whatever in-person activations and events the team pulls off. See you at the next pack drop!