This lot is closed. Bidding ended on 6/6/2013.
Hall of Famer Gus Johnson was drafted by the Baltimore Bullets with the tenth overall in the 1963 NBA Draft. He was elected to the 1964 NBA All-Rookie First Team and was an NBA All-Star five times. After being traded to the Phoenix Suns and subsequently released in 1972, the ABA’s Indiana Pacers brought him on for the ‘72-’73 season as an experienced veteran on their way to a third ABA Championship. Johnson retired after the ‘72-’73 season and was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010. This size 9.5, 10k gold player’s ring weighs 26 grams. The top panel reads “ABA WORLD CHAMPIONS” in relief surrounding an oval globe with three round-cut diamonds. The center diamond is .40-carats and the two adjacent stones are .15-carats each, the ring has a total diamond weight of approximately .70-carats. The left panel features a banner engraved with the player name “JOHNSON” above the Indiana Pacers logo in relief and the player number “25”. The right panel features the casted image of a scoreboard that reads 88-81, the final score of Game 7 of the 1973 ABA Finals. Below that is the ABA logo as well as the casted image of a Pacers player rising to the basket along with “70”, “72”, and “73” commemorating the Pacers’ three ABA Championships. The date of Game 7, “May 12”, is also engraved below. The inside of the ring is stamped “HERFF JONES HJ 10K”. The ring is in NRMT condition with some wear from regular use. Accompanied by an additional LOA.