By the time the late, great Wilt Chamberlain donned this Lakers home jersey in the late 1960’s, he had already established himself as the most prolific scorer and rebounder the game had ever seen. A prototype of basketball’s perfect big man, the Big Dipper seemingly dunked, swatted and corralled boards at will from the moment he stepped on the court. His brief stardom in college as a Kansas Jayhawk was soon eclipsed by his dominance at the highest level with the Philadelphia Warriors – highlighted, of course, by Wilt’s unfathomable 100-point game in 1962. His NBA career intertwined with perhaps the greatest competitor in sports history, the recently passed Bill Russell. Alas, the two larger-than-life basketball gods can finally continue their epic on-court battles in perpetuity.
Upon his arrival in Los Angeles in the fall of 1968, Chamberlain joined two other legends of the hardcourt, Jerry West and Elgin Baylor. No longer was he expected to do all the heavy lifting for his team. Sporting the same Lakers jerseys yielded a rare holy trinity, with three of the game's brightest stars ultimately producing Wilt's second and final NBA title in 1972, a season in which the club reeled off 33 wins in a row on their way to a then-record 69-13 season mark.
One of the best examples of a Wilt gamer that you will find in the hobby, this home gold jersey eloquently captures Wilt's arrival in Southern California for the final stretch of his storied career. The classic durene shirt undoubtedly saw a ton of game action and exhibits an ideal level of usage from The Stilt. Core structural elements remain intact and all-original, including the white and purple tackle twill lettering and No. 13 numbers that display evident puckering and adequate fraying. Manufacturer tagging traditionally found on the lower front tail is missing, but as the SIA authentication letter points out, this was not out of the ordinary. As the official supplier of Lakers jerseys during that period, Tiernen "would usually tailor each jersey to the specific player rather than a generic size." Wilt has immaculately signed both the front and back of the jersey in bold black marker, with “Peace” inscribed on the obverse side for good measure.
SCP Auctions Founder/President David Kohler – owner of the world’s most comprehensive Lakers collection – claims that this is one of Wilt's finest Lakers jerseys extant, home or road (that's saying something!). Includes an LOA from PSA/DNA for the autographs as well as a MEARS A9 letter and Sports Investors Authentication LOA. Also comes with a letter from the previous owner of the jersey, who got it from a Lakers equipment manager and later had it signed in person by Chamberlain. Everything is dialed in on this piece, from authenticity to provenance to condition.