April 5th Auction
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 4/6/2013
On the playgrounds of Philly they called him “Thomas Edison” inventing new moves no one had ever seen on a basketball court. Breaking into the NBA in 1967 he was the league’s Rookie of the Year and soon became known for his ability to run the fast-break like no one else and unpredictable shots that always seemed to find their mark. Monroe was already a star by the time he joined Walt Frazier to form the Knicks “Rolls Royce Backcourt” in 1972. The unprecedented assembly of two future Hall of Famers in the backcourt enabled the Knicks to blast their way to the 1973 NBA championship. This classic New York Knicks home jersey shows outstanding game use expected from the Hall of Fame guard they called the “Black Jesus”. Light ink staining is present on the front of the jersey. The blue and orange tackle twill numbers on the front and back show puckering. “MONROE” arches across the back above his “15” in Knicks blue and orange tackle twill. Cosby tagging is present inside the collar with an addition size “46” tag. The shorts are a size “34” and contain the appropriate Cosby tagging. The elastic waist string has been replaced and like the jersey shows consistent wear from use on the boards. Monroe’s number “15” has been hand written in black marker on the waistband. Best of all, this uniform matches the style worn during that storied 1972-1973 season when the Knicks won their last NBA Championship. A signed note from Mary Monroe states that this uniform was worn by her husband, Earl Monroe. The jersey and shorts have been graded A9.5 by MEARS and their letter of authenticity and worksheet accompanies this one-of-a-kind piece of NBA history. Multiple images and LOAs available at goldinauctions.com.