During the summer of '92, a powerful lineup of 12 American basketball players set off to win an Olympic gold medal in Barcelona, Spain. Called the "Dream Team," they represented the first American Olympic squad to feature active professional NBA players and proved to be unbeatable. Described by many as the greatest sports team ever assembled and called "the greatest collection of basketball talent on the planet" by no less an authority than the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, the unstoppable crew obliterated each of its opponents by an average of nearly 44 points per game in capturing the coveted gold medal. Presented here are two pairs of shoes, custom made and game worn by two prolific Hall of Fame members of the legendary Dream Team respectively during that memorable summer of ‘92.
Included here are Larry Bird’s game worn Dream Team sneakers. Bird’s "Cons" are white with blue and red trim and feature his Olympic number "7" embroidered on the outer ankle. Each shoe is signed on the outer achilles area in black sharpie. The shoes display light to moderate wear and the custom insoles have been removed.
The accompanying pair of shoes was worn by Patrick Ewing during the 1992 Olympics as a member of the Dream Team. The Ewing custom brand shoes are white with blue and red trim, and feature Ewing’s signature embroidered on the side in red. "EWING" is embroidered in blue on the back heel of each shoe with his number "6" above. Embroidery on the tongue reads "Patrick Ewing 6, 1992." Tagging on the inside of the tongue reads, "Manufactured and distributed by Next Sports, Inc. under license from Ewing Athletics" and "Sample." Ewing has signed each shoe with his added "#33" notation in black sharpie.
Both pairs of shoes have experienced significant deterioration of the foam that attaches the rubber soles to the upper portion of the shoes. Aside from this defect, resulting from age and the chemical composition of the foam, all elements of the shoes are original, as worn by these immortal hardwood heroes.
Autographs pre-certified by PSA/DNA.
Provenance: This lot originates from a gentleman who has enjoyed a long and successful career in Hollywood as an agent for many well-known athletes and entertainers. His professional and personal network enabled him to amass a significant collection of memorabilia, nearly all of which was given to him directly from the athletes and entertainers themselves. All of these items are being introduced to the marketplace here for the first time. While our consignor remains anonymous, SCP Auctions will issue an LOA for each game used item attesting to its player-direct provenance.