This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 2/6/2022
Offered in this lot is an authentic 1961-62 ABL (American Basketball League) Annual Pass presented to David Litman. The 3.5"x2" bronze-colored metal pass features the ABL logo along with Hall of Famer Abe Saperstein's facsimile autograph. The Pass reads "AMERICAN LEAGUE OF PROFESSIONAL BASKETBALL CLUBS" along with "DAVID LITMAN" stamped in the center.
Litman is a key figure in basketball history. Roslyn Litman, along with her husband and law partner, S. David Litman, and another lawyer, Howard Specter took on the NBA in the Connie Hawkins case. They argued that the NBA had illegally banned Hawkins (due to his alleged but unproven ties to a college basketball gambling scandal) and deprived him of the “opportunity to earn a livelihood.”
In 1969, the league agreed to a settlement of nearly $1.3 million and assigned Hawkins’ rights to the Phoenix Suns. "The Hawk"went on to have a Hall of Fame career in the NBA.
Back to the ABL, Saperstein founded the league to rival the NBA and implemented new rules that still hold today such as the three-point shot. The scarcity of ABL items adds to the significance of the offered annual pass. A rarity that not many will find in any collection.