During the 1972 NBA Finals, legendary basketball great Wilt Chamberlain managed to score 24 points despite a broken hand. Now the Los Angeles Lakers jersey he wore during that fateful game is heading to auction and is expected to fetch more than $4 million, as announced by Sotheby’s auction house today (August 2).
“This jersey holds an extraordinarily significant place in the history of Los Angeles, not only adorned by the man many consider to be the greatest player ever to step on the court, but as a relic from one of the greatest franchises in sports history,” said Brian Wachter, Sotheby’s head of streetwear and modern collectibles, in a statement.
The jersey, which will be exhibited at the auction house’s Los Angeles gallery in August before going on the block in an online sale in September, is the most valuable item of Chamberlain sports memorabilia to ever appear on the market, an indication that the growing demand for sports collectibles shows no signs of waning.
In 1972, the basketball player helped the Lakers win their first championship in Los Angeles after they managed to defeat the New York Knicks. That year, the team managed to set the record for the most wins in a single season and the most consecutive wins, at 69 and 33 respectively. The jersey in question was worn by Chamberlain in multiple NBA Playoffs and Finals Games, with numerous Sports Illustrated covers depicting the basketball legend in the yellow and purple gear.
Photographs, trading cards and magazines will accompany the sale
Alongside the jersey, three limited-edition photographs of Chamberlain from the 1972 NBA Finals will be offered by Sports Illustrated for private sales. And the jersey itself will be accompanied by a plethora of magazines, newspapers, images and trading cards depicting the gear.
Chamberlain, who died in 1999, was the subject of the recent Showtime docuseries Goliath. Known as one of the greatest players in the sport’s history, Chamberlain’s dominance and height of more than 7 feet led the NBA to introduce rule changes, such as widening the lane, instituting offensive goaltending and revising free throws, to limit his impact. Chamberlain holds dozens of basketball records to this day, such as most points scored in an NBA game and most points scored in an NBA season.
“There has been a rapid growth in the market for collectibles and gamewear in recent years,” according to Sotheby’s, which cited a “great demand from collectors” within the sector. Earlier this year, the auction house sold Kobe Bryant’s game-worn Los Angeles Lakers jersey for $5.8 million, following its May 2022 auction of Diego Maradona’s “Hand of God” jersey for $9.3 million.
In September of last year, Michael Jordan’s 1998 NBA Finals jersey fetched $10.1 million, making it the most valuable game-worn sports memorabilia ever sold. And in April, a pair of Jordan’s Air 13s became the most valuable sneakers when they were purchased for $2.2 million. Meanwhile, a Mickey Mantle baseball card sold for $12.6 million last August, setting the record for the world’s most expensive sports collectible. The market for sports memorabilia, which was valued at $26 billion in 2021, is expected to keep growing at a rapid pace to an estimated value of $227 billion in ten years.
