The 2009 – 2010 NBA season is now officially underway (finally!).  Many of last year’s top teams got even stronger during the offseason, and the competition for the Larry O’Brien Championship trophy is going to be fierce.    Will Ron Artest help Kobe Bryant and the already solid Lakers team repeat?    Or, will Cleveland’s offseason acquisition of Shaq help Lebron James and the Cavs take down the West.  My prediction:  if Kobe Bryant and the Lakers stay healthy I will have to put my money on them.

When you look at watch brands you tend to notice most relationships (or “ambassadors”) are created with athletes that are in racing, water sports, polo, tennis, and golf. When it comes the NBA and NFL you don’t see a lot of these relationships.  However, the star of the biggest contender in the West (Los Angeles Lakers – Kobe Bryant) and in the East (Cleveland Caveliers – Shaquille O’Neil) are an exception.  Let’s take a look at each athlete and their watches and see which one comes out with the “W”.

First up – Kobe Bryant and the Black Mamba from the Swiss watchmaker Nubeo.  For those of you wondering where the name “Black Mamba” comes from it is actually Kobe’s nickname.

If you’re unfamiliar with Nubeo I recommend checking out their website – www.nubeo.com.  They have a very cool line of men’s and women’s watches, though they are “priced for the pros” at about $25,000 on up.   Nubeo certainly has a much different look in the “sport watch” category than any other brand I have seen.  My favorite is by far Kobe’s Black Mamba (pictured below), which sells for about $25,000 (a hefty price tag….unless you are Kobe Bryant).   The collection goes all the way up to $250,000 for the very limited Black Mamba MVP, which has rings of baguette cut, whiskey-colored sapphire crystals (also pictured).

48mm diameter, ceramic with matt black finish, with a black natural rubber buckle in Titanium Grade 5 with DLC treatment

The Nubeo Black Mamba on the Lakers Black Mamba

Nubeo Black Mamba MVP Watch – $250,000

Now let’s take a look at Shaquille O’Neil and his AP (Audemars Piguet) Royal Oak Offshore.  This watch was introduced in 2007, and it’s probably good that AP limited its production to only 960 pieces being that it was designed when Shaq was wearing #32 and playing for the Miami Heat.  Oops!  Even so, a quick Google search shows that this watch is still selling for more than $30,000 (likewise a hefty price tag….or about 3 minutes of playing time for Shaq, depending on how you look at it).  I have been unable to locate any information on whether AP is continuing to work with Shaq and the collection, so if you have some info on this please leave a comment below.

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Shaquille O’Neal Watch, Steel, Limited Edition

The Superman himself wearing the special edition Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore:

Kobe and Shaq were at once arguably the best tandem in the NBA when they both played for the Lakers.  Who you like more is up to you (if you like either player), but i’m going to have to give Kobe the win for best watch.