1988-89 Fleer #56 John Long
About John Long
A decade into his NBA run when 1988-89 Fleer hit shelves, John Long shows up at card #56 as an Indiana Pacer — this is no rookie card, but a veteran scorer's ticket to a storybook finish, since by season's end he was back in a Pistons uniform winning the 1989 title with the Bad Boys. The Romulus, Michigan native starred for Dick Vitale at the University of Detroit, becoming the first Titan past 2,000 career points, and Vitale — newly hired by the Pistons — made him the 29th pick of the 1978 draft. Detroit paired "Lightning" with college teammate Terry Tyler's "Thunder," and the smooth shooting guard became Isiah Thomas's original backcourt partner, peaking at 21.9 points per game in 1981-82. Three Pacers seasons (1986-89) alongside a young Reggie Miller preceded that championship homecoming. Long retired in 1997 at age 41 — then the NBA's second-oldest player behind Robert Parish — with 12,131 points and an .862 free-throw stroke.
Sources: Wikipedia · Basketball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 1-6 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 310 | 145 | 123 | 24 | 8 | 10 | 0 |
| SGC | 6 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Graded population — a scarcity guide, not a price. Snapshot 2026-08-18. Half-grades fold down (8.5→8). The graders do not break out the stickers, so sticker pages carry no table.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1988-89 Fleer John Long card?
It is card #56 of the 132-card 1988-89 Fleer Basketball base set, picturing John Long with the Indiana Pacers.
How many cards are in the 1988-89 Fleer Basketball set?
132 base cards - 119 players ordered by team, the All-Star subset #120-131 and a checklist - plus the 11-card Super Star Sticker insert, for 143 cards in a master run. There are no variations; three backs carry uncorrected errors (#20, #26, #100).
Sources: Trading Card Database, Cardboard Connection, the PSA price guide, Basketball-Reference, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, PSA & SGC population reports. Card data compiled and maintained by T206Cards.com. Page last updated 2026-08-23.