Auction Item Details
Lot 84
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Lot Number: 84
Description: Highly Important 1957 Bill Russell Boston Celtics NBA Championship ring - First of (11) unprecedented Championship seasons. Bill Russell, along with Montreal Canadiens legend Henri Richard, earned a record eleven championship rings during his tenure with the Boston Celtics. No other professional athlete (other than Richard) has equaled that number in the 52 years since Russell retired. The context of that accomplishment is best processed when considering just a few of the athletes who have chased that record since: Mickey Mantle, Joe DiMaggio, Joe Montana, Tom Brady, Michael Jordan, Wayne Gretzky, and countless others. Fairly, team championships are not always equally attainable for each player. However, let there be no doubt that Bill Russell was the central figure behind the eleven championships to which would not have been won without him. In his rookie year, Russell introduced an intense style that would come to redefine the way the game was played. In the decades which followed, Russell stood out as a driving force on the team which featured five future Hall of Famers. Reaching the 1957 NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history, the Celtics would win the highly contentious series in seven games. Russell pulled off the famed "Coleman Play" in which he blocked a layup by Hawks player Jack Coleman, despite having been on the Celtics baseline when the ball was put in play, to preserve a 103-102 lead with (40) seconds left on the clock. It would be the first of an unprecedented (11) NBA Championships in which Russell took part as a member of the Boston Celtics. The Celtics issued an NBA Championship ring to Bill Russell which features an inset diamond of approx. .17 carat weight on top face which has "World Champion" lettering around the edge. The year "1957" is noted on either side above a shamrock. Marked "10K Koch" on the interior band which has "W.Russell" engraved. Ring appears to have been slightly resized to (12.5) with wear throughout indicative of the high esteem in which Russell held this piece. Weight (25) grams. Generational opportunity ranking among the most important player issued championship rings, or awards of any fashion, ever publicly offered. Includes signed letter of provenance from Bill Russell: VG-EXEstimated Price Range: (Estimate Upon Request)
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