This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 4/28/2019
Fresh off his college career and Gold medal win in the Rome Olympics, Oscar Robertson was one of the most sought after talents in the history of the NBA up to that point. "The Big O" was drafted by the Cincinnati Royals, who gave the star a $33,000 signing bonus. Winning Rookie of the Year honors, Robertson wasted no time turning his amateur fame into NBA greatness. He averaged a triple-double over his next five seasons in Cincy and became the face of the franchise, his name synonymous with the Royals. This 1960’s shooting shirt dates to the The Big O’s finest years in Cincinnati.
The royal blue shooting shirt features “ROYALS” arched across the chest in white and red tackle twill letters. A half-zipper closes the blue ribbed collared front. The waist is trimmed in blue elastic ribbing. Red and white ribbing stripes run down each shoulder and sleeve, and the arm openings are finished with royal blue ribbing. A size 46 Sand-Knit label is stitched into the collar along with an AGS Cincinnati Sand-Knit distributors label. The back has six grommet snaps where a nameplate and number would be affixed. Considering the lackluster NBA budgets of Oscar's era, the "Robertson" nameplate was likely removed and recycled by the team on a newer version. The shirt exhibits outstanding evidence of game use with some fading and wear throughout. There are some loose threads visible and light staining in the area directly below the lower center grommet snap on the back. The colors are bright and the shirt still displays beautifully. A tremendous piece from the Big O’s 1960’s prime in the Queen City. (We sold a similar looking shooting shirt from Oscar's collection in 2012 for $15,568.)
LOA from Oscar Robertson.
Oscar will donate a portion of his auction proceeds to the Jerome Lipper Multiple Myeloma Center and LeBow Institute for Myeloma Therapeutics at Dana Farber. This renowned cancer treatment center “provides comprehensive care to patients with multiple myeloma, including promising new therapies through clinical trials rooted in an approach that brings laboratory discoveries quickly to the clinical setting (https://www.dana-farber.org/multiple-myeloma-program).