Not since the draft of Michael Jordan--which produced future hall of famers: Charles Wade Barkley, Chris Mullin, and Hakem Olajuwon--has there been an NBA draft class with so much talent.  The 2003 draft class has already paid dividends with such notable stars and names as LeBron James, Darko Milicic, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh, Chris Kaman, Kirk Hinrich, T.J. Ford, David West, 05'-06' Most Improved Player Boris Diaw, Leandro "The Brazilian Blur" Barbosa, Josh Howard, Kyle Korver, and Dwyane Tyrone Wade, Jr.

With these developing talents and the full support of media and mass marketing, these players have become household names like LeBron and Dwyane leading the way.  This guide focuses on Dwyane Wade and the many affordable opportunities over eBay (search: Dwyane Wade) to collect his memorabilia despite a seemingly similar stature to that of James or the legendary Michael Jordan.  This guide will primarily look at Wade's basketball cards as his Converse signature shoes have been discussed in length in a previous guide which I have also authored. (http://reviews.ebay.com/Guide-to-Collecting-Heat-apos-s-Dwyane-Wade-Converse-Shoes_W0QQugidZ10000000000962239)

Getting Down to Business

According to Beckett Basketball Magazine, the card on the top of every Wade collector's wish list is the 2003-04 Upper Deck Exquisite Collection #74 Dwyane Wade (JSY AU RC) (Pictured Below).  I have seen this card's value range from 3000 USD to 6000 USD on eBay, and that is already supposed to be a good deal as if you were to open these very, very pricey Exquisite Collection packs, you will be very, very, poor before you would be able to pull anything substantial--and realistically speaking, it may not be the Dwyane Wade card which you were hopping for.

I believe that this approach, as well as the concept of "collecting all of my favorite player's cards" is not only impractical, it can also be time consuming and costly.  I propose that you look for one affordable card (which you really like) that would serve as an alternative to getting "everything ever made" of your player.  How is this done?  Well, all you need to do is streamline and focus on the goals of your collection.  What is it that you really want?  Do you really need it?  What purpose does it serve?  And the most important question, will this item make you happy?

Using myself as an example, I am a big Dwyane Wade fan but don't have the resources to collect "everything that is Wade."  So I assessed my needs and I realized that I just wanted one representation of DWade.  A card that has a picture, autograph, and jersey patch.  But with the multitude of card companies producing these type of DWade cards, how do I make my choice?  So in order to make that choice, I had several considerations that had to be fulfilled.  I wanted to get a card that was unique (but not expensive) and produced in his rookie season of 2003-2004.

 Cheaper alternatives and uniqueness (NBA of NBA logo as patch) can help you get rid of that need to get expensive cards (2003-2004 Fleer Hot Prospects Game Graphs)

The result was a 2003-2004 Dwyane Wade Fleer Authentix Jersey Authentix Autograph (AJADW) numbered to 100.  What made me choose this as the card to purchase over eBay?  Well, in this particular card, the patch wasn't your typical red, black, or white.  It was most of a Nike Swoosh Logo from the manufacturer's patch on each NBA jersey during that time.  This would make it a relative 1 of 1 since Nike gave way to Reebok as the official outfitter of the NBA a year later.

I really hope that this guide is able to help you put your Dwyane Wade collection in perspective.  Good luck!

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