This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 8/11/2018
From the great "Sir" Charles Barkley comes his pair of game-worn and dual-autographed Nike Air Alpha sneakers dating to his 1987-88 season with the Philadelphia 76ers when the 6'4" power forward--then lighter and more explosive--was known to rip down a rebound and go coast-to-coast before throwing down a thunderous dunk. The first-ballot Hall of Famer and ever-popular TNT personality won his only MVP award as a member of the Suns in the early 90's, but his best pro season may have been this one when he averaged a career high 28.3 points per game to go with 11.9 boards.
The shoes show excellent game use with all elements intact and come essentially as-issued. This white/red/black colorway appears to be bit scarcer than the white/red/blue version he also wore in 1987-88, but there are still plenty of images available showing Barkley wearing this style (Getty 129672941 & 129472512). Sir Charles has added his black Sharpie autograph to each shoe with the personalized message, "To Big Bill, Charles Barkley," adding his #34" inscription. They are inscribed to former Denver Nuggets assistant coach and longtime shoe dealer for many NBA players, "Big" Bill Ficke, whose collection we represented five years ago. A great early pair of gamers from one of the NBA's greatest players and most lovable characters.
Includes LOA from Bill Ficke.
Note: These shoes were pre-certified by PSA/DNA the first time we listed them and sold for $2,167 in July 2013. Bill Ficke obtained every autograph in person and we sold practically his entire shoe collection from 2013 to 2014. Not once did PSA/DNA fail an autograph obtained by Bill in that collection.