The Los Angeles Lakers jersey worn by Hall of Famer Wilt Chamberlain in Game 2 and the deciding Game 5 of the 1972 NBA Finals against the New York Knicks sold at auction for $4.9 million on Wednesday.
The jersey was sold by the Sotheby’s auction house.
The jersey was also photo matched to Game 2 of the 1972 Western Conference Finals, in which the Lakers played Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s Milwaukee Bucks, according to Sotheby’s.
The winning sum is the highest amount ever paid for a Chamberlain jersey, according to ESPN. It beat out the $1,792,000 paid in June for a jersey from Chamberlain’s 1959-60 rookie season with the Philadelphia Warriors.
It is the third-highest amount ever paid for an NBA jersey period, ESPN reported. The amount was bested only by the Sotheby’s sales of an autographed Kobe Bryant jersey from his MVP 2007-2008 season for $5.8 million in February and the sale of a Michael Jordan jersey from the NBA Finals of the 1998 “Last Dance” Chicago Bulls for $10.1 million in Sept. 2022.
In Game 5 of the 1972 NBA Finals, Chamberlain scored 24 points, grabbed 29 rebounds, and won his second championship as a player, and his only NBA Finals MVP award while nursing a broken hand.
The 1972 Lakers had a then-record 69 regular season wins, including a 33-game winning streak that has yet to be surpassed in any of the four major North American sports.
The 1972 title would also be the Lakers’ first in Los Angeles after moving from Minneapolis, having lost in the NBA Finals seven times in the prior 10 years.
“This jersey holds an extraordinarily significant place in the history of Los Angeles, not only adorned by the man many consider to be the greatest player ever to step on the court, but as a relic from one of the greatest franchises in sports history,” Sotheby’s Head of Streetwear and Modern Collectibles Brahm Wachter told the Associated Press in August.
• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.
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