This lot is closed. Bidding ended on 8/12/2011.
The 1967-68 Boston Celtics entered the playoffs as a two seed in the Eastern Conference with a 54-28 regular season record. The Celtics defeated the Detroit Pistons in the Semi-finals and moved on to face Wilt Chamberlain and the Philadelphia 76ers in the Eastern Conference Finals. The Celtics became the first team in NBA history to rally from a 3-1 deficit to win a series, as they knocked off the defending champion 76ers in seven games. The 1968 NBA Finals pitted Boston against the Los Angeles Lakers from the West, for the sixth time in ten years. The Celtics team consisted of Hall of Famers Bailey Howell, Bill Russell, John Havlicek, Sam Jones, and Tom Sanders (2011 Inductee) and routed the Lakers in six games with a 15-point victory in the deciding game. It was the Celtics’ 10th NBA championship, the first under player/coach Bill Russell. This ring is from the first of Howell’s two championships, both with the Celtics. This size 11.5, 10k gold player’s ring weighs 29 grams. The top panel reads “WORLD CHAMPIONS” surrounding a casted image of a basketball with a .22-carat round-cut replaced diamond in the center. The left and right shanks are identical, both read “1968” above a casted image of a shamrock and a banner that reads “CELTICS”. The inside of the ring is engraved with the player’s initials “B E H” and stamped “KOCH 10K”. The ring is in NRMT overall condition and comes directly from Bailey Howell with a LOA from him. This is the oldest NBA player’s ring that this auction house has ever handled.