A warmup jacket worn by NBA legend Wilt Chamberlain during the 1972 NBA finals was discovered at an Oregon thrift store and is now expected to sell for over $150,000 at auction. The jacket was purchased for $3.07 by 19-year-old Quinn Brown, who resells used clothing online.
Brown found the yellow, short-sleeved Lakers jacket at a Goodwill store outside Portland in January. He recognized Chamberlain's name and, after taking it home, began researching its authenticity. He compared stitching details on the Lakers patch to photographs of Chamberlain wearing a similar jacket and found measurements that nearly aligned with the 7-foot-1-inch player's known jersey dimensions.
Sotheby's, where the jacket is currently being auctioned, confirmed its provenance. The auction house described the item as an "extraordinary piece of memorabilia" worn by Chamberlain during the 1972 finals, when the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the New York Knicks and Chamberlain was named Finals MVP. Bidding for the jacket closes on Monday.
Chamberlain, a Hall of Famer, played in the NBA from 1959 to 1973, winning two championships and holding the record for most points in a single game with 100 points in 1962. His game jersey from the 1972 finals previously sold for $4.9 million at Sotheby's in 2023.
Brown, who has been reselling thrifted clothes for three years, stated that his most valuable previous sale was a Sub Pop Records T-shirt for $250. After Sotheby's contacted him about consigning the jacket, it was picked up by an armored van for authentication and auction.