AP Aug 2, 2023, 5:18 PM ETRead: 2 min.
Collectibles broker Sotheby’s expects Wilt Chamberlain’s 1972 NBA Finals jersey to sell for more than $4 million at an upcoming auction.
Sotheby’s calls the garment Chamberlain wore in the Los Angeles Lakers’ Game 5 victory over the New York Knicks the most valuable piece of their memorabilia to ever hit the market. The current record sale for a Chamberlain sports memorabilia item is $1.79 million as of June 2023. It was for a jersey he wore in his rookie season with the Philadelphia Warriors.
Online bidding will run from August 28 to September 27.
Chamberlain was the mainstay of the team that won the Lakers’ first NBA title. Playing with a broken hand, he scored 24 points and had 29 rebounds in Game 5 against New York and was named Finals MVP.
Chamberlain died at age 63 in 1999.
“This jersey holds an extraordinarily significant place in Los Angeles history, not only graced by the man many consider to be the greatest player to ever walk the field, but as a relic of one of the greatest franchises in sports history.” said Brahm Wachter, Sotheby’s head of modern streetwear and collectibles.
The jersey is offered with a collection that shows it in magazines, newspapers, photographs, stickers and more. It will be on public display at Sotheby’s Gallery in Los Angeles from August 2-31.
Chamberlain is an inductee into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. He was a four-time NBA Most Valuable Player. He scored 100 points in a game in 1962, a record that still stands.
The Wilt Chamberlain jersey with which he played in the 1972 Finals will be auctioned by the broker Sotheby’s. Photo: Sotheby’s
2023-08-02 21:18:00
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