In conjunction with the NBA’s 50th Anniversary in 1996, the NBA named it’s 50 greatest players and 10 greatest coaches of all-time. Each honoree was given a custom leather jacket individually designed and manufactured by Jeff Hamilton as part of the 1997 All-Star festivities in Cleveland. 1986 Naismith Hall of Fame inductee, Red Holzman – who would pass away a year later – joined Red Auerbach, Jack Ramsay, Lenny Wilkins, Pat Riley, Phil Jackson, Don Nelson, John Kundla, Chuck Daly and Bill Fitch as this elite group of honored head coaches.
Offered here is the one and only jacket presented to Holzman, coming directly from his family. Known primarily for his long coaching tenure with the New York Knicks, Holzman starred at CCNY in the 1940s and enjoyed a successful pro career with the Rochester Royals where he won two championships (NBL and NBA) as a player before taking the reigns as player/coach of the Milwaukee Hawks in 1953-54. After a coaching stint with the St. Louis Hawks, Red served as an assistant with the Knickerbockers before eventually taking over as the Knicks head man in '67 and led the embattled franchise to their only two NBA titles in 1970 and '73, cementing his status as a legend in the Big Apple. He retired from the Knicks in 1982 and did not wait long for enshrinement in Springfield, MA.
The New York Knicks themed blue and white, thick leather snap-button jacket has the NBA 50 Greatest logo on the left chest with Jeff Hamilton’s custom logo on the left sleeve and inside the rear collar. It comes in size L. The back has "KNICKS" in large orange leather numbers outlined in white. A gold NBA logo is located on the outer back collar. On the inside lining is "JEFF HAMILTON" stitched in black above an embroidered black label reading "This is a Limited Edition of 10 Jackets designed by Jeff Hamilton, commissioned by the National Basketball Association to Honor the Ten Greatest Coaches in the History of the League." A very exclusive garment, produced to the highest standards of quality, it remains exceptionally well-preserved. Only a few of the 50 Greatest Players or 10 Greatest Coaches jackets have ever surfaced. For reference, we auctioned Auerbach's for $13,628 in 2011 and Daly's for $12,113 in 2017. It comes with its original navy blue wool garment bag, emblazoned with two Jeff Hamilton logos, for proper storage and transport.