Wilt Chamberlain’s NBA Finals game-worn jersey up for auction

September 25, 2025

Wilt Chamberlain, Cavaliers, NBA — Getty

Wilt Chamberlain’s Lakers jersey from the 1969 NBA Finals — when he faced off against Bill Russell and the Celtics for the final time — is headed to auction at Sotheby’s next week.

And the price tag could climb into the millions.

It’s already drawing serious interest, per Cllct. Bidding sits at $320,000, with plenty of runway left before the hammer drops.

The last time a Chamberlain Finals jersey hit the market, from the 1972 title run, it sold for a record $4.9 million in 2023.

Very few Chamberlain “photo-matched” jerseys have ever surfaced. That scarcity is what has collectors circling. Some recent results show why:

A 1960 Philadelphia Warriors jersey, worn for an entire season including the playoffs, went for nearly $1.8 million last year.
A late-1950s gamer tied to an undated photo fetched almost $490,000 in 2022.

The 1969 Finals uniform is something else entirely. Chamberlain was 32, still dominant, and battling Russell one last time with everything on the line.

Boston won in seven, giving Russell his 11th and final ring. For Chamberlain, it was another painful loss in a career defined by both massive numbers and plenty of postseason frustration.

That history, combined with the rarity of Chamberlain Finals gamers, is what has collectors bracing for a run well past the $1 million mark.

Whether it challenges the 1972 jersey’s record remains to be seen, but for now, Wilt’s final duel with Russell is back in the spotlight — this time under the glare of the auction block.