1970-71 Lew Alcindor (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) Game Worn Milwaukee Bucks Rookie Jersey Photo Matched to 1970 Playoffs & 1971 Regul...

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1970-71 Lew Alcindor (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) Game Worn Milwaukee Bucks Rookie Jersey Photo Matched to 1970 Playoffs & 1971 Regular Season & Playoffs Including NBA Finals Clincher, MEARS A10. It was one of the most consequential coin flips in the history of American sports. After turning down a million-dollar offer to sign as the star attraction of the Harlem Globetrotters, the three-time NCAA National Player of the Year from UCLA opted for fate instead, allowing a fifty-cent piece to determine his new home. Phoenix Suns executive Jerry Colangelo was tasked with making the call in the NBA offices for the privilege of the first pick in the 1969 draft, confident as he watched the tumbling Kennedy half dollar fall toward Commissioner J. Walter Kennedy's outstretched palm.

The Arizona Republic newspaper had run a poll of its readers the previous week to vote heads or tails, and the residents of Phoenix had elected the former. How could they be wrong? "I just felt like we were going to win the flip," Colangelo later lamented. "We had taken a group of young guys in the expansion draft who would have fit perfectly with him (Alcindor). We would have been in prime position to have a good long run.''

But rather than the profile of the fallen President, a stern bald eagle stared up at him, delivering the first draft pick, and thus the man who would become the (recently deposed) NBA Scoring King, to the fledgling Milwaukee Bucks franchise. Two years later, with the help of fellow future Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson, Alcindor would deliver the basketball fans of Wisconsin their first NBA Championship.

This extraordinary garment spans more than a season of high-stakes action beginning in Alcindor's rookie postseason and concluding with the Milwaukee Bucks' championship-clinching Game Four of the 1971 NBA Finals. Beyond its status as one of the most significant basketball jerseys in the hobby, this is likewise one of the most painstakingly researched, having been delivered to two leading photo matching services to determine its verifiable history to the most comprehensive degree possible. We will report the findings of each here.

Resolution Photomatching: Conclusive matches to an April 1971 Western Conference Finals image vs. Lakers, an April 1971 NBA Finals image vs. Bullets, and three undated images. Probable match to one undated image. Likely matches are 1971 NBA Finals Game Two, NBA Finals Game Four, and one undated image.

Sports Investors Authentication: Apparent matches to 3/18/70 regular season vs. Knicks, 3/30/70 Eastern Divisional Semifinals Game Three vs. 76'ers, 4/1/70 Eastern Divisional Semifinals Game Four vs. 76'ers, 4/11/70 Eastern Divisional Finals Game One vs. Knicks, 4/13/70 Eastern Divisional Finals Game Two vs. Knicks, 1/26/71 regular season vs. Knicks, 2/6/71 regular season vs. Warriors, five undated images, 1970-71 Bucks team photograph. Conclusive matches to 1/27/71 regular season vs. Celtics, 4/14/71 Eastern Divisional Finals Game Three vs. Lakers, 4/25/71 NBA Finals Game Two vs. Bullets, 4/30/71 NBA Finals Game Four clincher vs. Bullets, three undated images.

The experts at MEARS were the last to opine upon this road green durene beauty, affixing it with their highest possible assessment for the jersey's "heavy" game wear and 100% original condition. "Milwaukee 33" spans chest in white-on-red tackle twill, with those digits repeated in slightly larger format on verso. Lower left front tail provides proper "Sand-Knit Size 44" label.

Lastly, the winning bidder will be supplied a letter of provenance from Patrick McBride, the former Bucks equipment manager who consigned a white version of this jersey and another from Alcindor's teammate Oscar Robertson to our February 2013 Platinum Night auction. McBride is not the consignor of this jersey, but he has examined the garment and has supplied a letter of provenance validating its authenticity. McBride likewise has indicated to us that each player was issued two home and two road jerseys per season, and that the NBA Championship season home jersey from Alcindor which McBride did not consign to Heritage is part of the permanent collection of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. LOA from MEARS, A10. LOA from Resolution Photomatching. Photo match LOA from Sports Investors Authentication. Letter of provenance from former Milwaukee Bucks equipment manager Patrick McBride. LOA from Heritage Auctions.