This lot is closed. Bidding ended on 12/11/2023.
The late, great Wilt Chamberlain was one of the most dominant big men to ever lace up sneakers on a basketball court. Before his Hall of Fame NBA career even started, he starred for two seasons as a Jayhawk for Kansas University, where he averaged 29.9 points and 18.3 rebounds per game. In fact, he led the Jayhawks to the 1957 Big Seven Championship and ultimately to a most memorable title game in the 1957 NCAA Tournament. In that year’s NCAA Championship game, the 7’ 1” center scored 23 points and pulled down 14 boards, but Kansas lost a 54-53 triple-overtime thriller to the UNC Tar Heels. Regardless of the defeat, Chamberlain was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player despite not playing for the championship team. Offered here is a beautifully designed 18” x 24” court piece from Kansas University’s original Allen Fieldhouse (the indoor arena where Chamberlain played) that he signed largely in bold black marker, which measures 14” across. The nicely shellacked wooden piece shows the Jayhawk mascot front and center with “KU” emblazoned in white. Near the bottom of the piece it shows the years in operation for the original arena (1955-1977). Chamberlain’s autograph, which is near the top, includes his uniform number (“13”) and in our opinion rates a 9. During his Hall-of-Fame NBA career, Wilt averaged 30.1 points a game, including a record 50.4 scoring average in the 1961-62 season. He was considered one of the most versatile centers ever, even leading the league in assists one year. He led his teams (Philadelphia and Los Angeles) into the playoffs 13 times and won two NBA championships. Chamberlain was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1979 and passed away 20 years later at the age of 63. Accompanied by a full LOA from JSA grading it a 9.