The great William Shakespeare, the Bard of Avon, wrote in The Twelfth Night, “Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them.” In the case of the gentle giant, Bill Wennington, the “greatness thrust upon [him]” was Michael Jordan, the engine, superstar, and fearless leader of the Chicago Bulls, the team Wennington joined in 1993. While Jordan rejoined the Bulls after Wennington joined, he helped lead the squad to their second trilogy of championships, from 1995 through 1998. Wennington was largely a defensive presence for the Bulls, energizing their post defense in relief of Luc Longley. A 13-year pro, Wennington was inducted into the Canadian Basketball Hall of Fame after his retirement.

     The first item offered here is a home jersey from the 1997-98 NBA season. This was the third consecutive championship season for the Bulls. “BULLS” is sewn across the front in red and black tackle twill. Wennington’s number “34” is sewn on the front and back in red and black tackle twill. “WENNINGTON” is sewn across the back shoulders in similarly colored tackle twill. A NBA logo is sewn on the left chest area. A Nike size “54” tag with an attached “Length +4” tag is sewn on the front left rail. Wennington signed the chest of this jersey in black marker. This jersey comes with a LOA from Mears and noted game used jersey expert Dave Miedema for game use, and a COA from JSA to authenticate the signature.

     Also include are Wennington’s white shorts from the same season. A Nike size “42” tag with “34” written in black marker is sewn on the back inside waistband. Finally, two autographed and game used Nike Air Flight shoes worn by Wennington are included. The size 16 kicks are white, with black accents and red Nike logos. “Nike Air” is embroidered on each heel in black. Wennington signed the front right toe of the right shoe in black marker, and the left heel of the left shoe, also in black marker. These shoes come with a LOA from Mears and noted game used jersey expert Dave Miedema for game use, and two Certificates of Authenticity from JSA for the signature (R: S21468, L:S21469).

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