The upcoming NBA season should see parity that has been rare throughout the past three decades of NBA history. The reason, the rise of the ‘dynamic duo’ throughout the league. In Los Angeles of course there is Lebron James and the Lakers who have now added a dominant co-star in Anthony Davis, but there is also a new western power in the Los Angeles Clippers who now feature Paul George and 2019 NBA Finals MVP Kawhai Leonard. Down in Houston the Rockets have the ex-teammates turned megastars reunited in James Harden and Russell Westbrook, and as always still very much a factor in the west is the ‘Splash Brothers’ Steph Curry and Klay Thompson.

The Eastern Conference features some new marquee teams as well. The Philadelphia 76ers have become a popular pick to lead the way with Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons there still ‘trusting the process’. But the Brooklyn Nets will feature Kyrie Irving (and eventually, though likely not this regular season) past league MVP Kevin Durant. The betting favorite to win the Eastern Conference is still the Milwaukee Bucks who have reigning league MVP ‘The Greek Freak’ Giannis Antetokounmpo and rising star Khris Middleton.

All these top talents teaming up has led to uncommon Vegas odds on who will be crowned the 2020 NBA Champions. There are 5 teams with odds that are 10-1 or better the Los Angeles Clippers lead the way at 3.5 to 1 followed closely by the Lakers at 4:1, then the Milwaukee Bucks at 6:1 and Houston Rockets at 8:1 and not far behind sits the Warriors at 12:1. Looking back before last season it was hard not to ignore the talk of the NBA becoming stale with the same teams meeting in the finals year after year. Flash forward one year and it seems the league is likely to see one of the most competitive and exciting seasons in decades and we for one are eager to see it!

Zion Williams is the most exciting rookie to hit the NBA since LeBron James entered the league back in 2003. And like Lebron James memorabilia did back then Zion Williamson autographed items will take the collectibles market by storm during the 2019-2020 NBA season.

There is already a fair amount of Zion Williamson Duke autographed memorabilia available out on the market right now, but over the next few months Zion Williamson autographed cards and Zion Williamson New Orleans Pelicans memorabilia will start to become available to collectors.

In the offseason and preseason Zion Williamson has already done his part in strengthening the hype and excitement surrounding him. He has signed endorsement deals with Jordan Brand (aka Nike) as well as Gatorade this offseason. During the preseason, while playing a limited number of minutes in the Zion has put up eye popping numbers. He has averaged over 22 points a game on over 70% shooting while also delivering the emphatic rim shaking dunks he has become known for. Zion has already shown he can make highlight reel plays on the professional level in his preseason debut.

While Zion Williamson is receiving unprecedented attention and widely considered a near lock for Rookie of the Year there are other highly touted rookies entering the NBA that will surely excite collectors. There will be plenty of New York Knicks fans searching for RJ Barrett autographed memorabilia as well as Memphis fans searching for signed items by their star rookie guard Ja Morant.

All three of these rookies are likely to increase excitement not only for the NBA but for the entire basketball card and collectibles industry. Last season if you invested in Luka Doncic on draft night, you are in a much better spot a year later. Rookies are perennially the hottest items on the collectible market. Other booms in 2018-2019 include Trae Young, Collin Sexton, Kevin Knox and DeAndre Ayton signed memorabilia. It is never too early to find that next Zion. Many mock drafts predict the top picks next year to be James Wiseman (Memphis), Anthony Edwards (Georgia) and Cole Anthony (North Carolina).

The 2019-2020 NBA season is about to begin on October 22nd starting with the defending NBA Champions Toronto Raptors at home against the New Orleans Pelicans. The Raptors may have lost their star Kawhi Leonard after just one season but young stars Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby look to take another leap forward this season and lead the East once again. Kawhi Leonard heads to the West Coast to team up with Paul George is a star backs Western Conference filled with super teams. How will theirs match up against LeBron and AD or Westbrook and Harden?

EAST PLAYOFF PREDICTIONS
1. Bucks
2. Celtics
3. 76ers
4. Heat
5. Nets
6. Pacers
7. Raptors
8. Magic

WEST PLAYOFF PREDICTIONS
1. Clippers
2. Rockets
3. Nuggets
4. Lakers
5. Warriors
6. Mavericks
7. Nuggets
8. Pelicans

NBA AWARD PREDICTION
MVP: Paul George
ROY: Zion Williamson
6th Man of the Year: Domantas Sabonis
DPOY: Jimmy Butler
Most Improved Player: Terry Rozier
Coach of the Year : Rick Carlisle (Dallas Mavericks)

With the power of the league spread wider, this should be the most competitive season in over half a decade. Experts have pegged the Bucks and Clippers as the favorite but it is as open as ever. Who do you see hoisting the Larry O’Brien Trophy in June?

After sweeping the St Louis Cardinals, the 2019 Washington Nationals are the closest thing MLB has gotten to replicating the 2005 Chicago White Sox excitement. Behind excellent starting pitching, the Nationals are able to copy what the underdog White Sox were able to do in 2005. Without much fanfare they put together a terrific staff of starting pitchers for an unlikely playoff run. With some luck, timely hitting and surprising bullpen performances they see themselves only 4 games away from achieving the ultimate goal of winning a World Series.

A team that was left for dead at 19-31 has do a full 180 turn in front of the baseball world. Davey Martinez bookmarked Zillow as he was looking for his home with his seat smoldering hot, but he now smiles with ski goggle drenched in bubbly. The Nationals stuck to their guns, did not break the bank on re-signing Bryce Harper and used those assets to acquire elite pitching, a more scarce commodity. The investment in Patrick Corbin paid off on Tuesday night as their $140 Million man locked down the Cardinals to secure the sweep for Washington. Entering as the Wild Card, not many predicted the Nationals to claw their way to the top of the NL. After a convincing series, their rotation will be completely fresh as they embark on their inaugural World Series pilgrimage.

The memorabilia market is heating up for Washington Nationals signed collectibles. Surprise NLCS MVP Howie Kendrick is the talk of the league right now, a statement no one saw coming. The Childish Bambino, Juan Soto signatures are not far behind on a list of top sellers. Other key contributing stars include Trea Turner, Ryan Zimmerman, Anthony Rendon and Victor Robles. The Nationals flirted with no-hitters with consecutive gems from Max Scherzer & Anibal Sanchez. Stephen Strasburg & Patrick Corbin notched wins in their starts as well. If history is an indicator, keep a close eye on the hot performer early in the World Series. The star of Games 1 & 2 get the memorabilia world hopping. Recent bumps include George Springer’s massive 2017 World Series where his signed baseball nearly tripled in value. Last season saw a Steve Pearce autograph go far $20 to over $100 per signature. If the Yankees make the World Series, the value swings could be even more severe. Start noting prices on signed jerseys and baseballs for Washington’s top stars.