"And now there's a steal by Bird ... underneath to DJ, he lays it in!"
Johnny Most's famous call from Game 5 of the 1987 Eastern Conference finals ranks in Boston Celtics lore and symbolizes one of the last gasps of the Larry Bird-led dynasty of the 1980s.
Just when it appeared Isiah Thomas and the Detroit Pistons were about to dethrone the Celtics, Bird stole Thomas' inbounds pass and helped Boston steal Game 5. The Celts would go on to win the series in seven games as Bird had 37 points, nine rebounds and nine assists in the clincher to give Boston its fifth trip to the NBA Finals in the 1980s.
The jersey Bird wore in all four home games of that classic East finals is currently up for bid at Heritage Auctions, reaching $164,700, including buyer's premium, with 18 days remaining.
The white jersey is photo-matched to seven playoff games during Boston's 1987 run and also appears on the June 8, 1987, cover of Sports Illustrated with the headline "Celtic Pride." The jersey was worn by Bird in the first half of Game 5, but not when he made the historic steal in the game's final seconds.
The Celtics went on lose the 1987 NBA Finals in six games to the Lakers, and Detroit would fully take the baton the following season by winning the first of its back-to-back championships.
Classic Bird jerseys don't come up for auction often and have become a coveted chase for NBA collectors from the 1980s. Bird was famous for reusing his jerseys, limiting the amount available to the game-used market.
One is also up for bid this month at Goldin from Bird's final regular-season meeting with arch-rival Magic Johnson in the 1990-91 season. Bidding for that road jersey, which is photo-matched to 13 games, is currently at $148,840, with four days remaining in the auction.
The 1986-87 jersey currently at Heritage last sold for $36,716 at Grey Flannel before the post-pandemic hobby boom.
Heritage is selling several other interesting Bird items, including two tickets from his 1979 NBA debut and two ensembles he wore in the 1996 movie "Space Jam."
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Kevin Jackson is the chief content officer for cllct. He spent 25 years at ESPN Digital Media, where he was the founding editor of Page 2, and nearly four years as the Executive Director for Digital Content at FOX Sports.