SPALDING BASKETBALL

Circa 1997

Sotheby’s is pleased to offer this basketball signed by those selected to play in the 1997 NBA All-Star Game, held at Gund Arena in Cleveland. The game is remembered not only for the talent on the floor, but for the halftime ceremony honoring the NBA’s 50 Greatest Players, many of whom were also selected to play that night.

At the center of the event were Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, the leaders of the Chicago Bulls as they pushed toward a fifth championship of the decade.

The surrounding roster captures the depth of the late-1990s NBA. Frontcourt stars such as Shaquille O’Neal, Karl Malone, and Hakeem Olajuwon represented the era’s dominant big men, while players like Grant Hill, Penny Hardaway, Gary Payton, and Mitch Richmond highlighted the league’s balance across positions.

Signed by every player who took the floor, this basketball serves as a record of a night that connected the NBA’s first 50 years with the generation shaping its future.

Signatures include Scottie Pippen, Michael Jordan, Penny Hardaway, Patrick Ewing, Shaquille O’Neal, Charles Barkley, Kevin Garnett, Grant Hill, Joe Dumars, Karl Malone, Shawn Kemp, Hakeem Olajuwon, John Stockton, Mitch Richmond, Gary Payton, Tim Hardaway, Vin Baker, Terrell Brandon, Christian Laettner, Alonzo Mourning, Dikembe Mutombo, Glen Rice, Chris Webber, Clyde Drexler, Chris Gatling, Tom Gugliotta, Eddie Jones, Detlef Schrempf, and Latrell Sprewell. This basketball comes directly from the Collection of Scottie Pippen.

The basketball is also accompanied by a letter from James Spence Authentication in regards to the signatures.