This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 8/20/2016
By the time Wilt Chamberlain joined the Los Angeles Lakers, he had already established himself as the most prolific scorer and rebounder the game had ever seen. He was the prototype NBA big man, dunking and cleaning the glass seemingly at will throughout the 1960's with the Warriors and 76ers. His 100-point game in '62 will never be matched. Neither will his career-high season averages of 50.4 points and 27.2 rebounds. Statistically, "Wilt the Stilt" is untouchable. Chamberlain arrived in L.A. for the 1968-69 season with his sights set on a second NBA title. This seemed inevitable playing alongside fellow Hall of Famers Jerry West and Elgin Baylor, especially after Wilt's longtime nemesis Bill Russell retired in '69 to end the Celtics dominant reign. After a hard-fought 4-3 series loss to the Knicks in the 1970 Finals, the Lakers responded the next year by reeling off 33 wins in a row and finishing with a then-record 69-13 regular season mark. They avenged their loss to New York with a convincing 4-1 series victory in the 1972 Finals. By then Wilt was a shell of his former self offensively, but he was still one of the top centers in the league, averaging 14.7 points and 21 rebounds.
Featured here is Chamberlain's game-worn home warm-up jacket from that special 1971-72 season, the first time it has ever been offered in the hobby. The durene, short-sleeve, button-down jacket comes in home gold with the Lakers patch sewn on the left chest. An arched "CHAMBERLAIN" appears across on the back in purple tackle twill outlined in white. Boasting a flip collar with purple trim, the jacket sports vintage Lakers-themed striped piping around the shoulders, shirttail and sleeve ends. His number "13" is sewn in purple on a strip tag located just inside the front tail. Manufacturer's tagging is no longer present, but the size is quite wide with adequate length for Wilt's stature. It exhibits a tremendous amount of wear with stretching, sweat staining and other forms of soiling throughout. This super rare basketball artifact comes courtesy of a Southern California consignor who has owned it since the mid-1970's. The jacket appears to be a match to the one Chamberlain can be seen wearing in the 1972 NBA Finals video (1:22 mark) below as he warms-up for Game 5 vs. the Knicks at the Fabulous Forum. Simply spectacular.