'Dr. J' ABA All-Star Jersey, Celtic Dave Cowens' MVP Award Lead Grey Flannel's Aug. 12 Basketball Hall of Fame Auction

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Aug 09, 2011, 09:48 ET

SPRINGFIELD, Mass., Aug. 9, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The highest achievement to which an NBA player can aspire is the Most Valuable Player Award. For the first time ever, an NBA MVP Award will be auctioned, on Aug. 12 at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame when Grey Flannel Auctions offers for sale the 1972-73 trophy won by former Boston Celtic Dave Cowens.

The 3ft. 9in. MVP trophy comes straight from Cowens' personal collection. "There's no overestimating this trophy's importance. It's from a Hall of Famer and Top 50 player. Right now the demand for game-used mementos from any of the '50 Greatest Players in NBA History' is at an all-time high," said Richard E. Russek, president of Grey Flannel Auctions.

The 170-item auction also features the collection of veteran TV commentator and 25-time Emmy® Award winner Al Trautwig, whose interest in sports broadcasting was ignited during his teens, when he served as a ball boy for the ABA New York Nets and stick boy for the New York Islanders.

Among the premier items of game-used apparel in the Trautwig collection is Julius "Dr. J" Erving's 1974 Eastern Conference ABA All-Star uniform. The striking red, white and blue uniform is embellished with stars, Erving's name, the number "32" and "ABA." Absentee bids have already pushed the bidding on the jersey to $38,000. Russek predicts it will go much higher.

Another stellar entry is Top 50/Hall of Famer Rick Barry's 1972 game-used ABA/NBA Super Games II uniform. "To our knowledge, this is the first ABA Super Games jersey ever to appear at auction," said Russek.

While a ball boy for the Nets, Trautwig became a trusted insider, Russek said, sometimes even babysitting Rick Barry's children. "The provenance for the Rick Barry Super Games jersey is impeccable," Russek said. "It comes with letters of authenticity from both Barry and Trautwig."

The auction also contains five championship rings, a circa-1967 St. Louis Hawks game-used and autographed road jersey from two-time Hall of Famer and Top 50 player Lenny Wilkens, Michael Jordan's 1984-85 Chicago Bulls game-used and autographed rookie road uniform and many other prized articles from Hall of Famers.

At least 50 auction items came directly from players, their families or team employees, and are accompanied by letters of authenticity from those sources.

Online: www.greyflannelauctions.com

SOURCE Grey Flannel Auctions