A month and a half ago, the company SCP Auctions sealed a new record for jerseys worn before the 80s by auctioning a jersey from Wilt Chamberlain dating back to his rookie year at the Philadelphia Warriors (1959-1960) for the price of $1.792 million. But this “Wilt The Stilt” jersey could quickly set a record since the legendary Sotheby’s house is preparing to put a piece on the auction market which could this time go for 4 million dollars!
This is a historic piece since it is the jersey with which Wilt Chamberlain played Game 5 of the 1972 Finals won by the Lakers against the Knicks. This is the last game in the series which had crowned the Californian pivot MVP of the Finals for the first time in his career, at the age of 35. He remains to this day the oldest player in history to have been elected MVP of the NBA Finals, tied with Michael Jordan in 1998. That evening, despite a broken hand which had forced him to play under anti-inflammatories , he had compiled 24 points, 29 rebounds and 8 blocks and LA had won 114 to 100.
“This jersey holds an extraordinarily important place in Los Angeles history, not only because it was worn by what many consider to be the greatest player to ever step on the court, but also because it is a relic of one of the greatest franchises in sports history”, said Brahm WachterHead of Streetwear and Modern Collectibles at Sotheby’s.
Online bidding for Wilt Chamberlain’s shirt is due to start on August 28 and close on September 27, plenty of time to drive prices up.
