2019 October Legends Closing October 19
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 10/20/2019
The 2003-04 Detroit Pistons finished the regular season with a solid 54-28 record and the third seed in the 2004 NBA Playoffs. After dispatching the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round 4-1, the Pistons knocked off the pesky New Jersey Nets in seven games and then defeated the top seed Indiana Pacers in six games to reach the NBA Finals for the first time since 1990.
Facing the heavily-favored Los Angeles Lakers, with Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant in the their primes, the underdog Pistons shocked the world by knocking off Los Angeles in five games to win the title. Rasheed Wallace, one of the key contributors to the Pistons triumph in 2004 drew inspiration from the WWE and being title holders. Wallace, known for his trash talking, carried around a WWE Heavyweight Champion belt to show the world who was the champion. Wallace was so pumped up after the Pistons title run that special belts were made as gifts to celebrate the Pistons victory.
This offered WWE WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT WRESTING CHAMPION” belt was one of those belts given out to point guard Mike James. James spent the second half of the season with Pistons, coming over from the Boston Celtics. Even as a backup, James was able to form a partnership with fellow guard Lindsey Hunter, who Rasheed Wallace nicknamed the “Pit Bulls” for their tenacious defense. This full size belt is gold-plated and has an elaborate design on the front with the WWE logo on the top and “WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT WRESTLING CHAMPION” in raised relief on top. Eight red stones are spaced out around the edges and on a raised plate reads “MIKE JAMES BITCH”. The belt has a black backing and two gold plated panels on the side with raised wrestling figures and four red stones on each corner. The belt has several snap-buttons to secure. A great piece of championship memorabilia and it comes with a LOA from Mike James.