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Jersey of NBA legend Bill Russell fetches $1.1 million at auction

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<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="Photos from the Hunt Auctions Twitter page" src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2021/tvpatrol/12/11/celtics.jpg"/><figcaption>Photos from the Hunt Auctions Twitter page</figcaption></figure></div>A jersey worn by Boston Celtics great Bill Russell in the last game of his NBA career fetched $1,116,250 in an auction of memorabilia collected by the basketball legend and civil rights icon, Hunt Auctions said Friday.The Number 6 jersey was worn by Russell in game seven of the 1969 NBA Finals, the final game of his career.The Celtics beat the Los Angeles Lakers 108-106 on May 5, 1969 at The Forum in Los Angeles as Russell won the 11th and final NBA title of his career.The jersey, which had been photo-matched to two images taken during the game and to a picture of Russell and coach Red Auerbach sitting in the Celtics&#x27; locker room, drew heated bidding from the United States and abroad, David Hunt, president of Hunt Auctions, said.Hunt called it an honor to present the auction, which culminated with a live auction at the Celtics&#x27; TD Garden in Boston, and said Russell&#x27;s stature made it no surprise that it generated healthy prices.Hall of Famers Charles Barkley and Shaquille O&#x27;Neal had been among those expressing interest in purchasing items.&quot;The record setting performance attained at the Bill Russell Collection live auction was astounding, yet not surprising,&quot; Hunt said. &quot;To properly convey the significance of Bill Russell as an athlete, a champion of Civil Rights, and a towering figure in the history of American sports is impossible.&quot;Russell had said in a video statement announcing the auction that he would keep &quot;a few pieces&quot; of his extensive memorabilia collection for himself.Some of the proceeds of the sale went to MENTOR, an organization that provides young people with support through mentoring.An additional auction-related donation was to be made to Boston Celtics United for Social Justice, which focuses on addressing racial injustice and social inequities in the Greater Boston area.Russell&#x27;s gold medal from the 1956 Olympics sold for $587,500. Russell, then 22, scored a team-leading 14.1 points per game as the United States won all eight of their games in Melbourne by an average 53.5 points per game.In other highlights, Russell&#x27;s NBA Championship rings from 1957 and 1969— the first and last of his 11 titles— sparked &quot;significant interest.&quot;The 1957 ring drew $705,000, believed to be a record price for any basketball-related championship ring, and the 1969 ring fetched $558,125.The auction also featured a letter from Jackie Robinson, the first Black player in modern Major League Baseball, written after Russell and other Black Celtics players boycotted a 1961 game in Lexington, Kentucky, after they were denied service at a hotel.The letter, included with a boycott game scrapbook page, brought $94,000.

A jersey worn by Boston Celtics great Bill Russell in the last game of his NBA career fetched $1,116,250 in an auction.