PORTLAND, Ore. – Imagine finding a treasure while rummaging through a thrift store! That’s exactly what happened to Quinn Brown, a teenager from Oregon, when he stumbled upon a warmup jacket once worn by the legendary basketball player Wilt Chamberlain during the 1972 NBA Finals. What started as a $3.07 purchase turned into a jaw-dropping $89,600 at auction!
In January, while browsing a Goodwill store outside Portland, Brown noticed a massive bin of clothes. Among the items, he spotted a Lakers jacket with Chamberlain’s name on it that someone had carelessly tossed back. As someone who resells used clothing online, he quickly grabbed it, not realizing just how special it was.
The jacket was auctioned by Sotheby’s, a prestigious auction house, which estimated its value between $150,000 and $250,000. The bidding frenzy attracted a total of 48 bids before it finally sold, showcasing just how much collectors value sports memorabilia.
Described as an “extraordinary piece of memorabilia” on Sotheby’s website, the short-sleeved yellow warmup jacket was worn by Chamberlain during the finals where the Los Angeles Lakers triumphed over the New York Knicks. “I didn’t even think that finding something like this was possible,” said Brown. “I got very, very lucky.”
Wilt Chamberlain is not just any player; he is an NBA Hall of Famer and one of the all-time greats. His career spanned from 1959 to 1973, during which he secured two championship rings—one with the Philadelphia 76ers in 1967 and another with the Lakers in 1972. He still holds the record for the most points scored in a single game, with an astonishing 100 points achieved in 1962.
For the past three years, Brown has been reselling clothes he finds in thrift stores. Before this incredible find, the most expensive item he sold was a T-shirt from Sub Pop Records, the indie label that launched Nirvana, which fetched $250.
After purchasing the Chamberlain jacket, Brown did some research online to confirm its value. He found a picture of Chamberlain wearing a similar jacket and compared it to the one he had. He closely examined the Lakers patch and noticed specific stitching details that matched the photo. Brown even took measurements, matching them with a different jersey worn by Chamberlain, who stood at a towering 7 feet, 1 inch tall.
“I really just wanted to make sure, because it was so hard to believe at the time,” he explained, noting that he had only read about such amazing thrift store discoveries.
When he posted a photo of the jacket on social media, Sotheby’s reached out to him, expressing interest in auctioning it. He agreed, and an armored van came to take the jacket for verification.
Sotheby’s conducted its own photo verification and confirmed that the jacket was indeed worn by Chamberlain during the 1972 finals, where he was named the finals MVP. The auction house noted, “Photomatching a piece of game-worn clothing to a specific Finals series, for a player of this era, is genuinely exceptional.”
This jacket is not the first piece of Chamberlain memorabilia from the 1972 finals to command a high price; a game jersey he wore during the series sold for an astounding $4.9 million at Sotheby’s earlier this year, making it one of the most expensive NBA jerseys ever sold.
As for Quinn Brown, he reflects on his thrifted find with amazement: “That was as good as it gets.” His story is a reminder that sometimes, unexpected treasures can lead to incredible opportunities!
