NBA: Wilt Chamberlain's rookie season jersey fetches record sum at auction
Wilt Chamberlain (R) (Source: Wikimedia Commons)
NBA legend Wilt Chamberlain's jersey which he wore during his rookie league season in 1959-60 was sold at a record price of $1.792 million on Saturday. The iconic jersey, which Chamberlain wore for the Philadelphia Warriors, is now the most expensive game-worn pre-1980 NBA item ever sold. The jersey was sold with SCP auctions.
The jersey, as per photo-matching analysis, was worn by Chamberlain at every Philadelphia Warriors home game, some neutral contests and five playoff games as well. The uniform was analysed and authenticated by MeiGray Group, Resoluation Photomatching (ResMatch) and Sports Investors Authentication (SIA).
The uniform also got an additional letter from Mears Authentication, grading the Chamberlain jersey with perfect A10. Many authenticators have also verified that the stains on the jersey were formed by Chamberlain's blood from his playing days.
"The matching jersey and shorts set was originally procured director from Wilt Chamberlain decades ago by his close friend who would become a trusted collector in the hobby," said the SCP auctions. While the man isn't named, "a letter of provenance from this gentleman" was included in the auction lot.
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Chamberlain's rookie season was itself an iconic one. He had smashed the then-regular-season points record of Bob Petit just 56 games into the season with his tally of 2,707 points.
Chamberlain had won both the awards for 1959-60 season: NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) and Rookie of the Year (ROY). He was first player to do so in the history of NBA. The two honours have been won in the same season only by Wes Unseld in 1969 for the Baltimore Bullets since then.
Chamberlain became a folklore in the NBA after making his debut in 1959-60. He previously played for the Harlem Globetrotters after dropping out of his senior year from University of Kansas. Chamberlain went on to scored 31,419 points in NBA - a record before Kareem Abdul-Jabbar surpassed him in 1984.
The record for most points in NBA currently rests with LeBron James who took over the spot from Abdul-Jabbar in 2023. LeBron currently leads the points tally with 38,652 points and counting.
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