Wilt-Chamberlain
Wilt Chamberlain Lakers jersey from 1972 NBA Finals sells for $4.9 million at Sotheby’s
Wilt Chamberlain was the most dominant player in NBA history, holding numerous scoring records and joining Bill Russell as the first great big men of the modern era.
Chamberlain’s scoring prowess is extraordinary: four of the top five highest scoring averages in NBA history; a record 100-point game; the most points per game in an NBA season (50.4); the most points in an NBA season (4,029); the most 50-point games in a season (45); and so on.
The only area where the 13-time all-star and four-time MVP didn’t dominant was in the postseason, where he won just two NBA championships.
But Chamberlain does hold the honor of bringing the first NBA title to the storied Los Angeles Lakers. The Minneapolis Lakers won five NBA championships before moving to Los Angeles in 1960. The L.A. Lakers made it to the NBA Finals seven times before 1972, losing all seven series.
Chamberlain won his first NBA championship in 1967 with the Philadelphia 76ers. Five years later, he led the Lakers to their first championship in NBA history.
On May 7, 1972, Chamberlain led the Lakers to its first NBA title while winning his only NBA Finals MVP award. Despite suffering a broken hand in Game 5, Chamberlain scored 24 points and grabbed 29 rebounds to lead the Lakers to the championship-clinching victory in Game 6.
The Lakers jersey Chamberlain was wearing in the game sold for $4.9 million in an auction at Sotheby’s that closed on Sept. 27. The previous record for a Chamberlain jersey was $1.79 million for his rookie jersey from 1959-60.
With Chamberlain leading the way in his 13th NBA season, the Lakers set a then-record with 69 regular-season wins, including a record 33 straight that still stands today. The jersey comes with multiple photos of Chamberlain wearing the jersey, including Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals against Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Games 2 and 5 of the NBA Finals.
It also comes with multiple covers of Sports Illustrated from the historic season, including the May 15, 1972 edition with the headline, ‘Los Angeles Champions at Last!”
