This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 2/5/2023
ADDENDUM: To be clear, this photo is slabbed both "Authentic" for the autograph and "Type 1" for the photograph.
George Mikan was basketball's first marquee player. Nicknamed "Mr. Basketball," he led the Minneapolis Lakers to five championships in six years and topped the NBA in scoring on three separate occasions. He retired as basketball's all-time scoring leader. Mikan was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1959 and returned to the game as the start-up ABA's first commissioner in 1967. He was named to the 25th and 35th NBA Anniversary Teams and was selected as one of the NBA's 50 Greatest Players in 1996.
George Mikan's 1948 Bowman rookie card is a timeless example from basketball's first superstar. The image of him dribbling the ball with a look of pure determination on his face is the most recognizable image of the hoops legend. Offered here is a PSA/DNA Type 1 original photograph of the iconic shot that was used for Mikan's 1948 Bowman rookie. The Sporting News featured the shot for many years in its NBA Registry. Mikan wears a number "21" jersey here rather than his famous No. 99, meaning the photo was taken soon after his arrival from the Chicago American Gears in 1947.
To make this historic photo even more significant, Mikan signed the photo in blue ballpoint pen across his Lakers uniform. According to Henry Yee, only one other example of this original photo is known to exist (and that one has yet to be offered in the market). Comes nicely encapsulated in a jumbo holder by PSA/DNA as a Type 1 with the signature authenticated as well.