LOT Old Heritage Auctions  /  2008 May Signature Sports Collectibles #709  / 

19815

1978 George "Iceman" Gervin Game Worn Sneakers f

Currency:USD Category:Sports - Cards & Fan Shop Start Price:1,000.00 USD Estimated At:2,000.00 - 4,000.00 USD
1978 George Iceman Gervin Game Worn Sneakers f
<B>1978 George "Iceman" Gervin Game Worn Sneakers from Sixty-Three Point Game.</B></I> It was the last game of the NBA season, and the playoff match-ups had already been set, leaving personal pride and season records as the only variables of note. For weeks, George Gervin of the San Antonio Spurs and David Thompson of the Denver Nuggets had battled for the scoring title, with the latter leading by fifty-seven points after recording seventy-three in his final game earlier in the day. Though Gervin scoffed at the notion of scoring fifty-eight in a single game, a figure he had never met on any level of competition, his fellow teammates were intent upon feeding the Ice Man the ball at every opportunity in the same manner that Thompson's had done for him hours earlier.<BR><BR>Any basketball historian knows how the story ended. Gervin provided the most dominating performance of his Hall of Fame career, putting up an outrageous sixty-three points, including an NBA-record thirty-three in the second quarter alone!) to take the season's scoring crown by a razor-thin margin. Presented here are the Nike high-top sneakers that carried the supremely talented guard through his most famous game. Like the other offerings of NBA game worn sneakers presented in adjacent lots within this auction, these derive from the personal collection of the Spurs' ball boy from 1972 to 1982, who travelled with the team to New Orleans for this last game of the 1978 season, and bore witness to history in the making. The white leather gamers show a season's worth of wear, with Gervin's chilling nickname emblazoned across the rear ankle of each. No size markings are evident inside, but we'd estimate them at about a size twelve. Both are signed "George Iceman Gervin #44" in vintage ink, though we must note that the ink has faded considerably and currently rates about a 4/10 and 2/10 on the left and right respectively.<BR><BR>Joining the shoes are the official pre-game press briefings for the April 9, 1978 battle, as well as the post-game journalists' score sheets (laminated) recounting the history-making events. A letter of provenance from the ball boy who personally acquired the shoes is included as well. <I>LOA from Lou Lampson. LOA from PSA/DNA (autographs). LOA from James Spence Authentication (autographs).</B></I><BR><BR><b>Shipping:</b> Clothing, Costumes & Jerseys (<a target="_blank" href="http://www.heritageauctions.com/common/shipping.php">view shipping information</a>)
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