This lot is closed. Bidding ended on 9/7/2013.
A dominant force in both college and the NBA, Jerry Lucas was a consummate team player. Under Hall of Fame coach Fred Taylor at Ohio State, Lucas teamed with Hall of Famers John Havlicek and Bob Knight to produce a 78-6 record and three Big Ten Championships. Impressively, Lucas led the Buckeyes into three straight NCAA Finals (1960-62), and the 1960 championship. In 1960 and 1961, Lucas was named the NCAA Tournament Outstanding Player. His distinctive over-the-shoulder shooting style helped him amass 1,990 college points, but Lucas was an equally tenacious rebounder, grabbing 1,411 for his collegiate career. During eleven NBA seasons with Cincinnati, San Francisco, and New York, Lucas was a three-time All-NBA First-Team selection. Named to seven NBA All-Star teams, he was chosen MVP of the 1965 game. When Lucas was traded from San Francisco to New York, he helped orchestrate the Knicks' 1973 NBA Championship. Lucas was the first basketball player to win championships at the high school, college, pro and Olympic levels, a feat that has since been matched only by Quinn Buckner and Magic Johnson. This size 13.5, 10k gold ring weighs 29 grams. The top panel reads “BASKETBALL HALL OF FAME” surrounding a round-cut synthetic diamond in the center. The right panel is engraved with the player name “LUCAS” above the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame logo and five stars. The left panel reads “1979” above a casted image of two basketball players. The inside of the ring is stamped “LGB 10K”. This ring was presented to Jerry Lucas in 1979 upon being inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. ?This was the first Induction class to receive Hall of Fame rings and what makes this ring even more significant is that this was actually the first HoF Induction ring that was ever minted. We were told by Lucas that manufacturer informed him that the '79 rings were cast in last name alphabetical order; Jerry Lucas' ring was the first off the line, followed by Oscar Robertson and Jerry West.
This lot will come with a hand signed letter from Jerry Lucas as well as a Naismith Memorabilia Basketball Hall of Fame letter of authenticity.
Lots 1–17 presented in this auction catalog are consigned to us directly from NBA Hall of Famer and Top 50 great Jerry Lucas. Jerry Lucas is one of the greatest basketball players in the history of the game. Lucas is one of only three players in history to win championships at every level (high school, college, NBA, Olympics); was named one of the Top Fifty players in NBA history; and named one of the Top 15 All-Time March Madness Players. During his career Lucas was a 7-time All-Pro, was the NBA All-Star Game MVP and is the only forward in league history to pull down 40 rebounds in a game. In 1973, he was a member of the New York Knicks World Championship team. He retired from the game with time remaining on his contract to pursue his passion of education and was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1979. We are honored to present this collection at our 2013 Hall of Fame Induction Auction.