1970-71 Oscar Robertson NBA Championship Season Game Worn Milwaukee Bucks Jersey, MEARS A9.5....

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Worn during the NBA Finals!

1970-71 Oscar Robertson NBA Championship Season Game Worn Milwaukee Bucks Jersey, MEARS A9.5. While an enormous amount of credit for the early success of the Milwaukee Bucks franchise belongs to young Lew Alcindor, it was Big O, the superstar point guard acquired from the Cincinnati Royals, who proved to be the final piece to the Championship puzzle upon his arrival in Milwaukee in 1970. Now forever enshrined with the NBA career scoring leader in both the Basketball Hall of Fame and the NBA Fifty Greatest Players of All-Time list, Robertson was the lightning to Alcindor's thunder, a heady Beer City brew that dominated the Midwest Division of the Western Conference for the entirety of their four-season partnership.

Ultimately their first joint venture would prove to be the most fruitful of all, however, with Robertson's debut Milwaukee campaign punctuated by a four-game Finals sweep of the Eastern Conference Champion Baltimore Bullets. Here we present the only home white Robertson jersey from the Bucks' sole NBA Championship season available to the collecting hobby. The twin to this jersey, along with Alcindor's, was personally delivered to the Hall of Fame in Springfield by our consignor, former Milwaukee Bucks equipment manager Patrick McBride.

This garment, and the Alcindor in the lot that precedes this one, was wisely retained by McBride himself at the close of the season, and his included letter of provenance attests to Championship season derivation, and NBA Finals action specifically. The 1970-71 vintage is likewise assured by the physical details of the garment itself, as leading game used memorabilia experts MEARS report in their lengthy letter of examination. As discussed in the descriptive text of the Alcindor jersey, the dual "Sand-Knit" tagging that appears in the Robertson gamer was first introduced by the sporting goods manufacturer in 1970, assuring that the jersey could not have belonged to a Bucks player prior to the Big O. And then, perhaps as a celebratory gesture, the defending Champs entered the 1971-72 season with their surnames across their shoulders. No surname, nor any indication of its removal, appears on the jersey in question. As such, the 1970-71 NBA Championship season is the only possible attribution.

Like its Alcindor brother, the offered jersey offers a red and green tackle twill "Bucks" across the chest, underscored by Robertson's remarkably prescient number "1," a departure from the number "14" he'd sported throughout the entirety of his Cincinnati service. The digit is repeated on verso. A few stray loose stitches, apparent only on the closest of inspection, appear on the "Bucks" nickname and "Mid-City Sporting Goods, Milwaukee, Sand-Knit Size 44" tagging, accounting for the half-point deduction by MEARS, the only deviation from perfection.

Solid, season long wear is apparent, the tagging and tackle twill softened by sweat and washing. The Bucks' sole NBA Championship was likewise the only one enjoyed by Robertson during his fourteen seasons of professional ball, establishing this as the most noteworthy of his jerseys ever presented to the collecting public. LOA from MEARS, A9.5. Letter of provenance from Milwaukee Bucks equipment manager. Copy of Sports Illustrated picturing Robertson in identical jersey is included.

1970-71 Oscar Robertson NBA Championship Season Game Worn Milwaukee Bucks Jersey, MEARS A9.5.

*A donation of $100 to the American Red Cross is required to attend the Live auction.