Wilt Chamberlain Jersey Worn vs. New York Knicks Makes $4.9 Million History

Wilt Chamberlain's Los Angeles Lakers jersey worn against the New York Knicks in the 1972 NBA Finals has become one of the most valuable threads in basketball memorabilia history.

Wilt Chamberlain's final NBA minutes came in 1973. Fifty years later, he's still setting hardwood records.

British-based memorabilia broker Sotheby's announced that the Los Angeles Lakers jersey worn by Chamberlain during the 1972 NBA Finals against the New York Knicks earned a $4.9 million sale at auction in New York, nearly $1 million over the firm's projections from August. 

Such a sale renders the No. 13 uniform one of the most valuable in NBA history: it is now the third most valuable NBA jersey sold at auction behind only Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls jersey from Game 1 of the 1998 NBA Finals ($10.1 million) and a Lakers jersey worn by Kobe Bryant during his MVP campaign in 2007-08 ($5.8 million). Sotheby's oversaw the sales of each of the top three jerseys. 

Chamberlain (13) dunks while wearing the $4.9 million jersey against the Knicks during the 1972 NBA Finals / George Long, Sports Illustrated (Courtesy: Sotheby's)

Chamberlain's yellow uniform from the 1972 Finals is also the most valuable auction piece involving both "Wilt the Stilt" and pre-1980 NBA memorabilia. The previous record-holder in terms of Chamberlain wares was a Philadelphia Warriors uniform from his rookie season in 1959, which brought in $1.79 million earlier this summer. 

The jersey in question was worn by Chamberlain during Game 5 of the series against the Knicks. Despite nursing a broken hand, Chamberlain scored 24 points and hauled in 29 rebounds en route to a 114-100 victory at The Forum that served as the clincher for the Lakers' first championship in 18 years and its first since moving to Los Angeles from Minneapolis. Images of Chamberlain in the jersey appear on the cover of the May 15 and Oct. 16, 1972 editions of Sports Illustrated. 

It was the capper of the second and final championship campaign for Chamberlain, who was bestowed the Finals' MVP Award for his efforts. Los Angeles won a then-NBA record 69 games that season, 33 of which came during a two-plus month winning streak.

With the win, the Lakers also earned revenge against the Knicks, who previously took Los Angeles down in seven en route to their own Finals victory in 1970. New York stole a bit of a last laugh over that gold-and-purple group with a five-game victory in 1973, which stands as the franchise's most recent NBA title.