Sports Items We'd Love to Own
Ali’s gloves, Jordan's No. 12 jersey, give up the goods.
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Sports Items We'd Love to Own - They were the gloves that Muhammad Ali wore during the “Fight of the Century” against Joe Frazier back in March 1971…and now they’re back on the auction block. According to ESPN, the gloves will be a prized item during the Heritage Auctions' July 31 auction in Cleveland, coinciding with the annual National Sports Collectors Convention. The same gloves sold for a public auction boxing memorabilia-record, $385,848, in December 2012. Experts estimate the gloves will challenge that figure from nearly two years ago. Wow, we would get in the ring and shoot the fair one for a shot at those and that’s just the beginning. Looking back at sports’ most memorable moments, there’s a few items that we’d love to get our hands on. So sit back and just imagine with us what it would be like to own some icon memorabilia. (Photo: B Bennett/Getty Images)
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Muhammad Ali’s Gloves From Ali-Liston II Fight - Any real sports fan and even most casual ones have seen the iconic image of Muhammad Ali — then Cassius Clay — flexing over the fallen body of Sonny Liston in their second bout back in May 1965. The shot captured the ferociousness of a young Ali, and remains a hot poster nearly 50 years later. Considering that the gloves from Clay-Liston I sold for a whopping $836,500 this past February, we wonder how much it would take to pry these loose. Whatever the cost, it’ll be worth it. Ali’s “The Greatest!” An item fit for the boxing gods! (Photo: Central Press/Getty Images)
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Game Ball From Michael Jordan’s “The Shot” - Aside from Muhammad Ali towering over a laid-out Sonny Liston, Michael Jordan’s “The Shot” may just be the best sports photograph of all time. And for great reason. Hoops fans will remember the memorable 1998 NBA Finals Game 6 sequence of Jordan stripping the ball from Utah Jazz star Karl Malone, driving the length of the floor, crossing over Byron Russell, and raising up just past the foul line to drain a wet jumper. “The Shot” gave the Chicago Bulls their sixth championship in eight years, writing another chapter of MJ’s greatness. We’d love to have a constant reminder of “The Shot” by purchasing the game ball that Jordan swished through in the waning seconds of that game. Whoever got it…pass that rock! We’ll pay up. (Photo: Jeff Haynes/AFP/Getty Images)
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Rare Michael Jordan No. 12 Chicago Bulls Jersey - No. 23 is synonymous with Michael Jordan. His Airness even rocked 45 upon his return to the NBA during the tail-end of the 1994-95 season. But did you know that Jordan once donned No. 12? It’s true. MJ was forced to wear No. 12 during a 1990 regular season contest against the Orlando Magic as his 23 jersey was stolen right before the game. The No. 12 Chicago Bulls jersey was slapped together so last minute that it didn’t even have Jordan’s name on the back. It was blank. True story. Who has it now? We’d love to give them 12, 23, or 45 reasons why we want that. (Photo: Tim Defrisco/Allsport/Getty Images)
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Piece of Evander Holyfield's Bitten Ear - When Mike Tyson chomped down on Evander Holyfield’s ear in their June 1997 fight, doctors were able to surgically repair “The Real Deal’s” ear. However, there’s a piece that remains. As long as it’s preserved in a glass case and we don’t have to touch it, we’re interested. (Photo: Steve Marcus /Landov/Reuters)
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Jackie Robinson’s Bat From Major League Debut - Jackie Robinson broke baseball’s color barrier in 1947 by becoming the first African-American baseball player to play in the Major Leagues. That being said, who wouldn’t want the bat he swung for the Brooklyn Dodgers during his MLB debut? It’s a piece of sports history and, more important, American history. We want that lumber!(Photo: Bettmann/Corbis)
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Jesse Owens’s USA Sweatshirt From 1936 Olympics - How did Jesse Owens boldly fight racism and the Aryan propaganda pushed by Adolf Hitler during the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin? By winning four gold medals (track and field, sprinting, and long jump) and towering over Hitler’s advocates on the medal podium while saluting the United States of America. Capturing that historic moment and bringing it home could mean getting a hold of the USA sweatshirt Owens was wearing. Where there’s a will, there’s a way. J.O. showed us that. (Photo: Fox Photos/Getty Images)
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Wilt Chamberlain’s 100 Points Sign - Hearing about Wilt Chamberlain’s legendary, almost mythical 100-point game for the Philadelphia Warriors against the New York Knicks back in March 1962 must serve as a tall tale for today’s generation of hoop fans. Nabbing the paper with “100” written across it that Chamberlain posed with after the game would be proof. Keep it 100…tell us you wouldn’t want that as part of your sports collection. (Photo: Wen Roberts/AFP/Getty Images)
Photo By Photo: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images/ Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images
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Tommie Smith's Black Gove - When Tommie Smith and John Carlos raised their black-gloved fists in the air at the 1968 Olympics, everyone thought it was to represent "Black Power." However, through the years, Smith has clarified that the gesture was actually a "Human Rights" salute. Look closely at the famous podium picture of Smith, a gold-medal winner in the 200m, and Carlos, a bronze winner, and you'll see Olympic Badges for Human Rights adorned to their outfits. Still, the black gloves are what we're drawn to in this photo. (Photo by Universal History Archive/Getty Images)