The Boston Celtics won the first of their record 18 NBA Championships during the 1957-58 NBA season. Their team was a mix of old and new stars, with sixth year pros Bob Cousy and Bill Sharman seamlessly integrating rookie center Bill Russell into the team. The Celtics won the Eastern Division, advancing to the NBA Finals against Bob Pettit and the St. Louis Hawks. The Celtics won a hard-fought seven game series, despite Pettit’s 30 points and 18 rebounds per game. The Celtic dynasty would win 10 more championships with Russell holding down their frontcourt, going down in history as one of the greatest basketball teams of all-time.

     This ball has been signed by 12 members of the 1956-57 team, including Hall of Fame coach Red Auerbach, and Hall of Famers Bill Russell, Bob Cousy, Bill Sharman, Frank Ramsey, Tom Heinsohn, Andy Phillip, and Arnie Risen. Other signatures include Lou Tsioropolous, Jim Loscutoff, Togo Palazzi, and Dick Hemric. Russell inscribed “758/1000”, indicating the ball’s limited edition status. All signatures were written in black marker. This ball comes with a LOA from JSA (Y43482).

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