One of the highlights of the sports year is the unpredictability — that team you never saw coming or a player who defied odds. And sometimes, random characters emerge and dominate the sports conversation (looking at you, LaVar Ball.)

What will 2018 bring to the sports world? USA TODAY Sports provides some serious and not-so-serious predictions.

1. LeBron James joins the Lakers. And Cavs owner Dan Gilbert has another meltdown when the King leaves Cleveland, spurning the city again. Imagine LaVar Ball inviting LeBron for dinner and Lonzo Ball directing the fastbreak with LeBron for the finish. If one executive can get a monster signing done, it's Lakers front man Magic Johnson.

2. Lonzo Ball breaks free from his daddy's web. If James (or another superstar) heads to the Lakers, Lonzo will decide that LaVar's outlandish comments and behavior are too much. The ultimate betrayal: Lonzo signs with Nike or Adidas over Big Baller Brand.

3. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich announces he will run for president in 2020. And Pop selects Warriors coach Steve Kerr as his running mate. Both NBA coaches denounced President Donald Trump's rhetoric in 2017. Imagine a debate between Popovich and Trump.

4. A healthy Tiger Woods wins another major. Finally playing without serious back pain, Woods wins his first major since 2008. Just seeing Tiger back on the golf course might be enough for some fans, but a championship fist-pump is long overdue.

5. Serena Williams wins all four Grand Slams. After taking time off for her pregnancy in 2017, Williams enhances her legacy as the greatest women's tennis player ever by winning 2018's Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and U.S. Open.

6. Lindsey Vonn becomes Olympic darling (again) at Pyeongchang Winter Games. After winning gold in the 2010 Games, Vonn has been plagued by injuries in recent years. But she recently told CNN that she wants to win for her grandfather, who introduced the sport to her family and died last month.

7. Unexpected World Cup outcomes. Switzerland and Belgium make it past the quarters for the first time ever in the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

8. Conor McGregor competes on Dancing With the Stars. It might not have the same punch or drama as a Floyd Mayweather-McGregor super fight, but wouldn't you like to see McGregor incite a brawl on the dance floor?

9. An NHL team lands in Seattle. The ticket drive goes well enough that the NHL can't refuse expansion, setting up the league's 32nd team for 2020-21. Sorry, Quebec City.

10. Derek Jeter suffers buyer’s remorse, puts the Marlins up for sale. The former Yankees great can't handle the criticism after turning the Marlins into what agent Scott Boras called "a pawn shop."

11. Bryce Harper leaves the Nationals for the Cubs. The Giancarlo Stanton trade means the Yankees might not be Harper's top suitor anymore. His friendship with Kris Bryant could be a difference-maker, and playing at Wrigley Field while contending for a World Series could be just as enticing a year from now.

12. Yankees teammates Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton hit a combined 116 home runs. Breaking the record held by Roger Maris (61) and Mickey Mantle (54) in 1961.

13. Miami Marlins lose a major-league record 121 games. Breaking the mark set by the 1962 New York Mets (40-120).

14. The Indians are finally put out of their misery. And win a World Series. This secures manager Terry Francona's spot in the Hall of Fame.

15. The Browns win a game. This prediction might not seem bold at first, until you remember that the Cleveland Browns have lost 42 of their past 44 games, their current head coach, Hue Jackson, has won only once, and they recently shook up the front office (again). In other words, the bar for "bold" in Cleveland is being lowered all the time.

16. After leading Duke to its sixth national championship, coach Mike Krzyzewski retires. (Editor’s note: We predicted this last year. And the year before that. It’s bound to come true.)

17. Arizona State coach Bobby Hurley, the former Blue Devils point guard, is named Krzyzewski's successor. Hurley's Sun Devils are off to a hot start and look poised to do some damage in the Pac-12 and NCAAs in '18.

18. UConn women's basketball team falls short again. It will be surprising for the Huskies to not cut down the nets.

19. A $100 million coaching contract. If it doesn't happen in 2018, it will happen soon. Texas A&M just gave Jimbo Fisher a 10-year, $75 million deal. And as the money continues to pour into college athletics, and college football coaches' salaries continue to rise, a $100 million deal doesn't just seem possible. It seems inevitable.

20. A defensive player wins the Heisman Trophy. Houston defensive tackle Ed Oliver or Ohio State defensive end Nick Bosa put together a Ndamukong Suh-like dominating season to beat out mediocre campaigns from quarterbacks and running backs. (Charles Woodson is the only primarily defensive player to win the award, doing so as a defensive back, kick returner, and occasional wide receiver for Michigan in 1997.)

21. Tim Tebow gets a speeding ticket. Seriously, 2018 could be a wild one.

22. Roger Federer wins another Grand Slam. At the old age of 36, Federer wins his record 20th Grand Slam title. Considering he won the Australian Open and Wimbledon in 2017, age is just a number with this guy.

23. Rob and Rex Ryan get into another bar fight. And the sun will rise in the east. The Ryan brothers got involved in a skirmish at a Nashville sports bar last spring during the Stanley Cup Finals. These boring brothers have surely learned their lesson, right?

24. Johnny Manziel plays in the NFL. It will be a long road, but reigniting his career in the CFL — the league just approved his eligibility after a lengthy examination process — will be a start.

25. Jon Gruden coaches again. The ESPN personality and former NFL coach is always flirting with the idea and tosses around "never say never" responses to coaching rumors. Whether in the NCAA or NFL, Gruden is a prime target.

26. Donald Trump names Mike Leach his new White House spokesperson. Be honest — Leach would be more entertaining than Anthony Scaramucci ever was.

27. Cal Ripken returns to play third base for the Orioles as Manny Machado signs a 10-year, $400M deal to stay in Baltimore as shortstop. If Rafael Palmeiro thinks he can return to the big leagues at 53, the Iron Man could certainly do it.

28. The U.S. women’s hockey team faces Canada in the Olympic final (again). And wins this time. The Canadians have had the U.S. team’s number in the Olympics, winning the past four gold medals, including an OT win in Sochi. That served as motivation for the U.S., which has won the past three world championships since that 2014 defeat.

29. Politics overshadow sports for at least a day, maybe more, in Pyeongchang. The security situation remains a concern due to continued missile tests by North Korea and rhetoric between Kim Jong Un and President Trump. The White House has not said who it will send in its delegation. While U.S. presidents do not always attend Olympics in other countries, it’s unquestionable that Trump will have an effect, if in no other way than a tweet.

30. Jimmie Johnson wins record eighth NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series title, retires. Johnson surpasses Richard Petty and the late Dale Earnhardt Sr. for the most Cup titles, leaving the California native with nothing else to prove. His retirement leaves NASCAR without another bankable star and follows the retirement of teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr. in 2017.

Contributing: Tom Schad, James Hascup, Scott Boeck, Rachel Axon, A.J. Perez, Tim Gardner, Nicole Poell

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