Which NBA rivalries could shape basketball’s next five years?

T he NBA’s ever-changing nature means that rivalries are fickle. When Philadelphia traded picks with Boston to take Markelle Fultz with the No 1 overall pick in the 2017 NBA draft, and the Celtics selected Jayson Tatum third, the teams’ proximity and prior history had all the makings of a classic. But while Tatum is a perennial All-Star, Fultz soon developed the shooting yips and was quickly shipped to the Magic.

The modern-day uptick in team-switching has made for less of the classic rivalries that defined previous eras, such as Magic Johnson’s Lakers v Larry Bird’s Celtics and Michael Jordan’s Bulls v the Bad Boys’ Pistons. But when the stars do align, these marquee matchups make for gripping theater.

Here are five rivalries that could shape the next five years.

When Williamson and Morant were taken with the top two picks in the 2019 NBA draft, it seemed only a matter of time before the duo would battle for NBA supremacy. But with Williamson’s injury issues (just 85 games played in his first three seasons) and Morant’s uncertain path to the NBA (he wasn’t even a ESPN top 100 high-school recruit), it’s remarkable the pair remain side-by-side.

The Zion-Ja rivalry is unique in many ways. Aside from being selected after one another by teams in the same conference and division, New Orleans and Memphis’ timelines for title contention have finally converged. The duo are separated only by a stretch of Interstate 55, a proximity that suggests it’s meant to be. With the Grizzlies and Pelicans inside the top four positions in the West, the prospect of these two superstars meeting deep in the playoffs later this season, and for many years to come, is becoming more likely by the day.

As closely as Ja and Zion are linked, each