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NBA, hoops cards in good hands with SGA, new stars
As a sports fan, this was supposed to be a thrilling spring for me.
The Braves were expected to contend again and my Carolina Hurricanes were among the favorites to win the Stanley Cup.
But as the Braves limped into June still under .500 and the Hurricanes washed out in the Eastern Conference Finals for the second time in three years, my annual spring disappointment led to a surprising development.
For the first time in a while, I starting watching the NBA Playoffs.
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I have been down on the NBA for several years, mainly because I live in Charlotte, the most abused and disenfranchised fan base in the league. We are just two hours from Tobacco Road, where Michael Jordan reigns and college basketball is king. Yet the greatest NBA player of all time was one of the league’s worst team owners, running the Hornets like they were a golf-course side bet.
Jordan is now racing stock cars in NASCAR country while Charlotte is the doormat of the NBA. The Hornets haven’t been in the playoffs since 2016, haven’t won a playoff series in 23 years, and most of its draft picks in the Jordan era wouldn’t make the G League.
So after watching Jordan run the Hornets into the ground and the league damage its own popularity and TV ratings with one misstep after another, it’s easy to see why a lifelong hoops fan might have gradually soured on the game.
But with the Hurricanes fading and the Braves scuffling, I decided to give the NBA a cursory glance. What I saw surprised.
Where was LeBron and the Lakers? What happened to Luka, his new sidekick?
Why is Steph not raining 3s for the Warriors?
Who is this OKC team smacking around Joker and the Nuggets?
How did Indiana fell the Bucks and big Giannis?
And what happened to the defending champion Celtics? Foiled by Jason Tatum’s Achilles injury, but still … the Knicks? What in the name of Willis Reed is going on in Gotham, Batman?
As the conference finals got under way, I couldn’t help but wonder how the NBA had suddenly been transformed overnight.
The Celtics, Lakers and Warriors aren’t dominant anymore.
The Bulls, Sixers and Jazz aren’t even playoff teams. Even the Spurs, Mavs and Rockets find themselves in the draft lottery, surrounding the Hornets, who are buzzing around their usual spot among top 10 cellar-dwellers.
Instead, OKC rained Thunder on the Minnesota Timberwolves, while the Pacers ran circles around the new-age Knickerbockers.
But what intrigued me most were the new stars who have emerged and are now shining on the big stage going into the surprising 2025 NBA Finals.
It’s no longer LeBron, Steph, Kyrie and Durant trying to push their star-studded teams to the brink.
Instead, it’s up-and-coming superstars like Anthony Edwards knocking down jumpers like Kobe in Minnesota.
Jalen Brunson bringing back memories of Walt Frazier and John Starks in New York.
Tyrese Haliburton dropping dimes like Chris Paul in Indiana, with the flair and swagger of Reggie Miller.
And the silky-smooth Shai Gilgeous-Alexander sneaking into the lane like a thief in the night, gliding toward the rim and gently kissing the ball off the glass, reminding you of the soft, sweet touch of George Gervin and Alex English or the effortless acrobatics of Saint Michael.
These are the new stars of the NBA and they are a joy to watch.
And hoops collectors are taking notice, too. Just before the playoffs, a 2018-19 Panini National Treasures Rookie Patch Auto card of SGA sold for a record $128,100 at Goldin.
Two months later, a 2020-21 Panini Black Prizm Haliburton Rookie sold for a record $119,650.
Rookie cards and Superfractors of SGA and Edwards have been routinely attracting five figures on eBay, while Haliburton, Brunson and other young players are starting to join the five-figure club.
With the way they are playing, it may not be long before they enter LeBron, Curry and Wemby cardboard territory.
And here’s the kick in the gut for me: In 2018, the Hornets drafted SGA and immediately traded him to the Clippers for Miles Bridges. The Clippers then shipped him to OKC, where he is now a three-time All-Star, league scoring champion and first-time MVP.
Nice job, Jordan.
Hopefully, the Hornets, under new ownership, are finally in good hands. The NBA and hoops card market certainly look to be.
— Jeff Owens is editor of SCD. You can reach him at jowens@aimmedia.com.
Jeff Owens is the editor of SCD.
