This lot is closed. Bidding ended on 5/26/2016.
Al Cervi was elected into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1985. As a player, he was known for his tough defense that earned him the nickname Digger. Along with talent, Cervi had a mind for the game as well, thriving in the rare position of player-coach. In 1949, Cervi was named All-NBL First Team and Coach of the Year. After retiring as a player in 1953, Cervi led the Syracuse Nationals to an NBA championship in 1955 as the head coach. On the inside of the rear left tail is an extremely rare “Joe Charles Sport Shop” manufacturer’s tag. Across the chest reads, “NATS” and the player number “15” appears on both the front and on the back. These are done in yellow chain-stitching with a navy blue chain-stitched border. This durene jersey is in fantastic overall condition and is the only known Cervi jersey in the hobby. We were told by our consignor that this shirt was originally sourced from the Cervi family over 20 years ago. This jersey is properly tagged, was presented to us as game-used and in our opinion, shows excellent use. Accompanied by a team photo and his Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame player card.