Rejected NBA Balls Could Bounce Up In Value

DALLAS (Flashnews.com) – The NBA will be ditching its brand new balls come January 1 – and that means they could bounce up in value. At least that’s the way Rich Klein, a sports memorabilia expert for Beckett.com, sees it.

Since the composite basketballs were used for only a short time, Klein calls them the “New Coke of professional sports." Still, he predicts they could have tremendous value to collectors – especially if there’s proof the balls were actually used in NBA games. As an example, Klein cites the old red, white and blue basketballs used by the now-defunct American Basketball Association, which can sell for up to four figures these days.

Naturally, game-used balls have the most value but Klein predicts that even the composite balls sold in the average sporting goods store will eventually be valued collectibles. Even better for budding collectors: Klein says sporting goods stores are probably going to drop the price in order to get rid of them before the New Year – so it’s a buyer’s market.