Teen's $3 thrift store Wilt Chamberlain Lakers jacket sold for $90,000
Los Angeles Times • • sports
Key Points:
- A Portland teenager, Quinn Brown, purchased an old Lakers jacket from a Goodwill bin for $3.07, which later sold at auction for $89,600.
- The jacket was verified by Sotheby’s as a warmup jacket worn by NBA legend Wilt Chamberlain, including during the 1972 NBA Finals where Chamberlain was named series MVP.
- Brown identified the jacket by comparing it to photos of Chamberlain and matching the jersey measurements, leading Sotheby’s to consign it for auction.
- Sotheby’s estimated the jacket could fetch $150,000 to $250,000, but the final sale was $89,600, still a significant return on Brown’s initial investment.
- Brown expressed gratitude and surprise at the find, noting the sale was a "once in a lifetime" opportunity and a huge financial gain from a $3 purchase.
