Julius Erving’s jersey from his second NBA game has surfaced at public auction for the first time, marking Dr. J's earliest NBA jersey to ever appear publicly and his first NBA road jersey.
And it could soar to unprecedented heights.
Erving wore the Philadelphia 76ers away jersey in an Oct. 23, 1976, game against the Buffalo Braves during his rookie NBA season, logging 13 points and three assists.
The jersey will hit the auction block at Grey Flannel, the same auction house that facilitated the private sale to the current consignor around 20 years ago — sourced directly from the Erving family.
Grey Flannel director of operations Michael Russek didn’t hesitate when asked his thoughts on the final sale price of the jersey, though the auction house doesn’t publish estimates. “This is going to break the record for the most expensive Dr. J jersey to hit the market,” he said in no uncertain terms.
Erving jerseys are shockingly rare to find with photo-match documentation. Erving's only other 76ers-related item matched to a game is a shooting shirt, worn during the 1977 All-Star Game, which sold for $16,590 in 2023.
The record for any Erving jersey is a Virginia Squires jersey from his time in the ABA during the 1971-72 season, which sold for $522,000 in 2022 at Goldin. That jersey was also matched to Erving’s 1972 Topps No. 195 Rookie Card by Resolution Photomatching.
At the time, while provenance and Grey Flannel’s own photo-matching provided confidence in its authenticity, it lacked any third-party photo-matching documentation. Ahead of the auction, the jersey has been matched by Sports Investors Authentication to his first road game, as well as other games during the season including outings on Nov. 7, Nov. 13, Christmas Day and Jan. 2, 1977 (Erving’s first time back at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum since being traded from the New York Nets, then of the ABA). Additionally, the jersey has been matched to undated photos from games against the Bucks, the 1977-78 Street & Smith's Pro & College Basketball Yearbook Magazine cover, as well as “apparent matches” to games in October and January.
Russek thinks this 76ers jersey will easily surpass the Squires in price. “I don't think the Squires jersey is even a comparable,” he said, adding the 76ers component brings with it a die-hard Philadelphia fan contingency with deep pockets.
Though only photo-matched to the handful of games mentioned above, it was common practice at the time for players to wear the same jersey for long stretches.
Russek says it’s possible the jersey could have been worn for 75 percent of Erving’s road games that year.
While true debut jerseys are generally considered more desirable, the style of 76ers road jerseys are more appealing in the eyes of Russek.
“Even if you had both of them in front of me, I would take the blue one,” he said. “Stars down the side, the red, white and blue. Doesn't get any better.”
The Erving jersey will join Grey Flannel’s upcoming auction, which also features a possible $1 million Wilt Chamberlain gamer. Grey Flannel has had a run of success in the game-worn category as of late, joining in on the rising tide of the overall market. The auction house sold another Chamberlain jersey for nearly $400,000 in June. A year prior, they sold a jersey worn by Wayne Gretzky when he recorded his last NHL point for $715,120, a record for any U.S. hockey jersey.
Russek chalks up the recent success to “a little bit of the market, a little bit of luck, and a lot of drive and passion from our end.”
The significance of long-term, repeat clientele cannot be overstated, as is the case with this Erving jersey, which came back to Grey Flannel two decades after the consignor purchased it through the auction house. Repeat business is the “indicator that you’re doing a good job the first time around,” says Russek.
Of course, much like others in the industry, Russek credits the mass adoption of photo-matching for some of the sizable results, too.
One interesting facet of the Erving jersey he feels could drive bidding is its era.
“What I really like about this piece is that it's not vintage to the point where people don't remember him," he said.
Unlike George Mikan, who Russek says often gets left out of these conversations, Dr. J walks the line between old-school cool — after all, he still is remembered as one of the greatest dunkers in history — while still maintaining enough relevancy for new collectors to have interest.
Will Stern is a reporter and editor for cllct.