This lot is closed. Bidding ended on 8/12/2011.
Before the arrival of "Magic" Johnson there was another "Magic" -- "Black Magic," also known as "Earl the Pearl." He was Earl Monroe, a dazzling ball handler and one-on-one virtuoso who made crowds gasp with his slashing drives to the hoop. Monroe joined the NBA in 1967 and parlayed his talents into a distinguished 13-year career. He was part of a changing of the guard in the NBA, arriving at a time when high scorers like Dave Bing and Jerry West were showing that the backcourt could rack up points just as effectively as the center position. He finished with a career average of 18.8 points per game. "The ultimate playground player," is how Bill Bradley once described him to the New York Post. He loved to spin and twist through the paint and then launch off-balance, circus-like shots. More importantly, he was a key leader on two excellent teams of the late 1960s and early 1970s--the Baltimore Bullets and the 1972-1973 NBA Champion New York Knicks, the team on which Monroe was most beloved. On the left front tail is the "Gerry Cosby" distributor's tag. Below that is the "Medalist Sand-Knit” manufacturer's size 42 tag with wash instructions. Across the front is "NEW YORK" in orange on white tackle twill. Below that and on the back is the player number "15" in orange on white tackle twill. Across the back is the player name "MONROE" in white tackle twill. On the back inside waistband of the shorts is the "Sand-Knit" manufacturers size 32 tag with wash instructions. Next to this tag is a blank felt strip tag with the player number “15” written in black marker. The uniform shows game-use and appears to have no alterations of any kind.