Wilt Chamberlain
Heritage Auctions tips off NBA season with 1971 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar jersey, Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell memorabilia
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar took the NBA by storm when he entered the league as the No. 1 draft pick in 1969.
Known then as Lew Alcindor, Abdul-Jabbar averaged 28.8 points and 14.5 rebounds that season to win NBA Rookie of the Year and lead the Milwaukee Bucks to second place in the Eastern Conference.
A year later, Abdul-Jabbar topped the league with a 31.7 scoring average and led the Bucks to their first NBA championship. The 7-2 center and former UCLA star was named regular-season and NBA Finals MVP, offering a prelude of what was to come for the six-time champion and six-time NBA MVP.
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Heritage Auctions is commemorating Abdul-Jabbar’s historic career by offering a game-worn Milwaukee Bucks jersey from his first championship and MVP season.
The road jersey, which is up for bid in the Nov. 16-18 Fall Sports Catalog Auction, is photo-matched by multiple third-party experts to crucial moments throughout Abdul-Jabbar’s second season. According to Resolution Photomatching, Abdul-Jabbar wore the jersey during an April 1971 Western Conference Finals game versus the Lakers and an April 1971 NBA Finals game against the Bullets. Sports Investors Authentication, meanwhile, has matched it to several regular-season and postseason games dating from March 18, 1970 to the Game 4 title-clinching game against the Bullets on April 30, 1971. It is graded a MEARS A10 and also comes with a letter of provenance from Patrick McBride, a former Bucks equipment manager.
The Kareem jersey is one of several iconic basketball items in Heritage’s Fall Sports Auction, including the 1969 Look Magazine College All-America Basketball Team ring presented to Alcindor in 1969, from The Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Collection.
Also featured is the 1969 the NBA Championship ring Bill Russell received when his Boston Celtics won their 11th title in 13 seasons. The ring, which was part of the Bill Russell Collection auctioned shortly before his death last year, was the final championship ring of Russell’s storied 13-year career.
“With the opening of the basketball season upon us, we are delighted to offer these incredible pieces from the greats of the game,” says Chris Ivy, director of sports auctions at Heritage. “This auction is one hell of a tip-off to the new season.”
The auction also features Michael Jordan’s 1984 Olympic game-worn Converse sneakers.
Another highlight is one of the nicest examples of one of the rarest basketball cards in the hobby — a Wilt Chamberlain 1961 Fleer rookie bearing a Mint 9 signature.
