MEARS LOA now posted.
Presented here is a vintage San Diego Clippers warm-up jacket from one of the NBA’s most prolific scorers and colorful performers in the 1970’s and '80’s, Lloyd Bernard Free. A product of the New York City playgrounds, Mr. Free was so cool that he had multiple nicknames. Originally "The Prince of Mid-Air" and the "Brownsville Bomber" in his early years, he eventually settled on World B. Free and legally changed his name in 1981. Before that, the flashy guard drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers out of NAIA’s Guilford College (NC) was a high-flying, scoring machine for the San Diego Clippers from 1978 to 1980. Playing alongside Bill Walton, he put up a gaudy 29.4 points per game in his two memorable campaigns in America’s Finest City. Over a 13-year career in the Association, Free averaged 20.3 points, and this jacket dates to his best and only All-Star season of 1979-80 when he torched the nets for 30.2 points a night to go along with 4.2 assists and 3.5 rebounds.
The smooth-looking, powder blue jacket has “San Diego” in white on the upper right chest and “Clippers” running across the full-frontal zipper in white-on-orange tackle twill. The collar, tail and sleeve ends are all ribbed with an orange and white stiped pattern, giving it that classic disco/80’s feel. An arched "WORLD" in white is sewn on the back, with Free's No. "24" and a Clippers logo patch sewn on the left sleeve. There is also a No. "15" sewn on the right sleeve, signifying that the jacket was likely donned by either Bird Averitt in 1977-78 or Henry Bibby in 1980-81. (NBA teams from that period were quite frugal and often repurposed team-issued apparel.) Tagged by Rawlings, the long-sleeved jacket comes in size 42 with 4" extra length and shows moderate wear. A totally rad, bitchin’ style jacket worn by one of the great showmen from basketball’s cool, Dr. J era!
Includes a letter from MEARS confirming its player-specific specs and authenticity. Getty 633563828 shows a player (not Free) behind Walton wearing the same style jacket before a Clippers game early in the 1979-80 season.