This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 8/20/2016
In the 1959-60 NBA season, the widely heralded Wilt Chamberlain finally made his debut as an NBA player, starting for the Philadelphia Warriors. The Warriors' draft pick was highly unusual, as it was a so-called "territorial pick" despite the fact Chamberlain had spent his college years in Kansas. However, Warriors owner Eddie Gottlieb, one of the NBA's founding fathers, argued that Chamberlain had grown up in Philadelphia and had become popular there as a high school player. Because there were no NBA teams in Kansas, he argued, the Warriors held his territorial rights and could draft him. The NBA agreed, marking the only time in NBA history that a player was made a territorial selection based on his pre-college roots. From the beginning, Chamberlain brought a level of domination to the game which had seldom been seen before. In his rookie season, Chamberlain averaged an incredible 37.6 points and 27.0 rebounds, obliterating the previous regular-season records. He won both the NBA Most Valuable Player and NBA Rookie of the Year awards, a feat only equaled by fellow Hall-of-Famer Wes Unseld in the 1968-69 NBA season. By the time he concluded his 14-year career, Chamberlain would rewrite the NBA record books and cement an enduring legacy as the most dominant force the game has ever seen.
Among the premier basketball artifacts extant, we proudly offer Wilt's 1959-60 NBA MVP trophy presented to him in recognition of his historic rookie season performance by the Philadelphia Sports Writers Association (PSWA). Standing 29-1/2 inches tall, it remains in its original unrestored state showing some tarnishing and rusting to metal elements. Accompanying photos picture Chamberlain receiving and holding the trophy in 1960. The trophy was acquired directly from Wilt by SCP Auctions President David Kohler in 1996 and includes a detailed letter of provenance. The historical importance and impeccable source provenance of this trophy makes this a museum-caliber basketball artifact that defies all superlatives.