Teen Paid $3 For Wilt Chamberlain Lakers Jacket At Thrift Store. It Sold For Almost $90,000 At Auction

A Portland teen recovered a random aged Lakers overgarment successful a Goodwill bin backmost successful January.

He paid $3.07 for it.

Seven months later, nan point sold astatine auction for $89,600.

Turns retired nan aged overgarment wasn’t truthful random aft all.

Verified by Sotheby’s auction house, it was a warmup overgarment worn by NBA fable Wilt Chamberlain astatine slightest 3 times. That includes during nan 1972 NBA Finals successful which nan Lakers defeated nan New York Knicks successful 5 games and Chamberlain was named nan bid MVP.

“This is Truly a erstwhile successful a life find,” Brown wrote on Instagram successful January. “I americium truthful grateful this overgarment has landed successful my hands.”

Brown, 19, has been reselling his thrift-store clothing finds online for nan past 3 years. When he saw personification flip nan short-sleeved Lakers overgarment pinch “Chamberlain” connected nan backmost into a bin of apparel extracurricular Goodwill, Brown grabbed it for his online shop.

Then he did immoderate research. Brown recovered an online photograph of Chamberlain wearing a overgarment that looked very similar. He besides discovered that nan four-time convention MVP’s jersey measurements intimately matched those of nan jacket.

This undated photograph provided by Sotheby’s shows a warmup overgarment worn by Wilt Chamberlain during nan 1972 NBA Finals that was recovered successful an Oregon thrift store. (Sotheby’s via AP)

(Sotheby’s via Associated Press)

After he posted a photograph of nan overgarment online, Brown was contacted by Sotheby’s astir consigning it for auction. He took nan auction location up connected nan offer, and nan overgarment was whisked distant successful an armored vehicle.

Sotheby’s photomatched nan overgarment to 3 images: an undated photograph from nan 1972-73 season, a photograph from a January 1973 crippled and a photograph from a 1972 location crippled against nan Knicks that was wished to beryllium from either Game 1 aliases Game 2 of nan NBA Finals.

Chamberlain had 12 points and 19 rebounds successful Game 1, a 114-92 Lakers loss, and 23 points and 24 rebounds successful Game 2, a 106-92 Lakers victory.

“I didn’t moreover deliberation that uncovering thing for illustration this was possible,” Brown told nan Associated Press. “I sewage very, very lucky.”

Sotheby’s estimated that nan overgarment could spell for $150,000 to $250,000. While nan last magnitude wasn’t rather that high, Brown told KIRO-FM (97.3) successful Tacoma, Wash., that he’s “obviously happy” aft making backmost 29,000-times his first investment.

“$90,000 is beautiful good,” he said. “I was hoping it would spell higher. A small surprised, sitting location nan past 5 minutes it didn’t really get immoderate bids. So that was a small disappointing. But, still, a batch of money — particularly since I only spent $3.”

The Associated Press contributed to this story.