Wilt Chamberlain Wears Vintage Jacket Worth Up to $250,000
Wilt Chamberlain wore a vintage Los Angeles Lakers jacket during the 1972 NBA Finals, which was recently found at a Goodwill store in Hillsboro, Oregon, for $3.07. The jacket was purchased by 19-year-old Quinn Brown.
The jacket was spotted by auction house Sotheby’s after Brown shared a photo of it on Instagram, and it was later confirmed to be the one worn by Wilt Chamberlain during the 1972 NBA Finals.
Brown said he almost missed out on the item altogether after another shopper picked it up first, but luckily for him, they dropped it instead of buying it.
The discovery is significant for Wilt Chamberlain fans, as the jacket is a rare piece of NBA history, with Sotheby’s matching it to photographs from his final Lakers season from 1972-73.
The jacket is now listed for auction with an estimated sale price of between $150,000 and $250,000, with bidding live through Sotheby’s until July 20.
Bidding for the jacket has already reached $12,000, and Brown plans to save whatever the jacket sells for, hoping the windfall will help him retire early.
Brown has become an even bigger fan of the Lakers icon whose jacket he unknowingly picked up, saying he has a Wilt Chamberlain book on his dresser and a Wilt Chamberlain card that was a gift from his friend.
The discovery is the biggest find yet for Brown, who has built a career buying and reselling second-hand items, and he spends up to 20 hours each week searching through Goodwill stores and outlet bins.
Brown began thrifting while still in high school and said he was just doing it because he enjoys it, never expecting to find something as valuable as the Wilt Chamberlain jacket.
The jacket's authenticity was confirmed by Sotheby’s, which matched it to photographs from Wilt Chamberlain's final Lakers season from 1972-73, making it a unique piece of NBA history.
The auction is a rare opportunity for collectors to own a piece of Wilt Chamberlain's history, and the bidding will continue until July 20, with the final sale price expected to be between $150,000 and $250,000.