This lot is closed. Bidding ended on 6/22/2017.
The most dominant defensive center in NBA history, Russell was a master at anticipating, blocking shots and grabbing rebounds that triggered the Boston Celtics' fast break. Bill won 11 NBA Championships and started a dynasty in Boston winning in 1957 and 1959-66 as a player, and 1968 and 1969 as a player/coach of the Celtics. He won NBA MVP honors five times, was the rebounding champion four times and played in 12 All-Star Games, winning game MVP in 1963. Enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1974, he was named to the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History in 1996. When he retired from playing, Russell had set numerous NBA playoff records, pulling down 21,620 rebounds (second only to Wilt Chamberlain) and had scored 14,522 points. Before turning pro, Russell was an All-American and National Player of the Year at San Francisco, leading the Dons to the 1955 and 1956 NCAA titles. Russell also powered the USA to an 8-0 record and the Gold Medal at the 1956 Olympics. Inside the neck is a Wilson manufacturer’s tag with a hanging flag tag attached with the size,”44”. On the bottom left interior is a pocket. Across the chest reads “CELTICS”. There are four buttons firmly attached down the middle with three of them missing. On both of the sleeves is the iconic Celtics shamrocks. On the back is a satin nameplate firmly attached with snaps that reads, “RUSSELL”. All lettering and logos are done in green on gold satin. This fleece warm-up jacket shows a consistent vintage look throughout. There is slight fraying in the collar. This warm-up jacket was sourced directly from the Boston Garden when our consignor's grandfather brought the jacket home following a game in the 1960’s. This warm-up jacket is properly tagged, was presented to us as worn. Accompanied by a letter from PM&G grading the jacket an 8.