This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 9/29/2019
From the late Red Holzman's personal collection comes this milestone game-used basketball. The 1975-76 New York Knicks had a lackluster campaign at 38-44, failing to make the playoffs for the first time in nine seasons. Just three seasons earlier they capped off their second NBA title of the decade thanks in large part to their hard-nosed, Brooklyn-born head coach. With few highlights that year, one game easily stands out among hardcore Knicks fans and basketball historians: February 21, 1975 -- the night their Holzman joined the elite 500-Win Club. At that point, only one other NBA coach in history had reached that pinnacle of success: ironically, another "Red". That would be Celtics legend Red Auerbach, winner of nine championships for the city of Boston, who retired as coach in 1966 with 938 career wins. The Knicks knocked off the New Orleans Jazz by the score of 102-98 that memorable Saturday night at Madison Square Garden. Spencer Haywood led New York with 30 points and 14 rebounds. "Pistol" Pete Maravich scored a game-high 31 for the Jazz.
Presented to Red following his monumental achievement was this offered official NBA (Larry O'Brien) basketball showing obvious game usage. A long piece of medical tape is wrapped around the ball (obscuring some of the Wilson and NBA stampings) and is neatly notated in red pen "Red Holzman's 500th Win." Holzman remains the team's all-time winningest coach by a wide margin with 613 for the Knicks and 696 overall. The two championships he delivered for the city of New York in 1970 and '73 earned him legendary status forever in the Big Apple. Number "613" is hung in the rafters at The Garden in Red's honor. What an incredible piece of memorabilia to honor the Hall of Fame coach! Includes LOA from the Holzman family.