Quinn Brown, a 19-year-old from Oregon, paid just $3.07 for a vintage Lakers warm-up jacket at a Hillsboro Goodwill Outlet in January that has since been authenticated as belonging to NBA legend Wilt Chamberlain.
Brown spotted the gold-and-purple short-sleeved jacket with “Chamberlain” stitched on it after another shopper set it down in front of him at the store’s outlet bins.
“He just threw it in front of me, and I immediately grabbed it,” Brown said, recalling the moment that would change his life.
How the historic piece of memorabilia ended up at a Goodwill outlet remains a mystery, with the only clue being a dry-cleaning tag still attached to the jacket.
“So somewhere from the dry cleaners, somebody forgot it,” Brown said, offering the only theory he has about the jacket’s unlikely journey to a thrift store bin.
Brown suspected the jacket was authentic based on its worn appearance, its oversized dimensions, and the presence of Scovill buttons, which were commonly used on uniforms before being discontinued in 1984.
He posted a photo on Instagram, where it caught the attention of Sotheby’s, which transported the jacket to New York in an armored van for expert analysis and photo matching against archival images.
Authentication firm SIA Photo Match confirmed the jacket in February, matching it to photographs of Chamberlain wearing it during three Lakers games, including one contest from the 1972 NBA Finals, in which the Lakers defeated the New York Knicks.
“That was the most exciting moment I’ve had in my life,” Brown said of waking up to find the message from Sotheby’s confirming the 1972 Finals photo match.
Sotheby’s has estimated the jacket, described by the auction house as “rare and significant,” will fetch between $150,000 and $250,000 when bidding closes on July 20, with the auction having opened on July 1.
The jacket is made by Champion in nylon and wool and bears minor signs of wear including a small stain, details that authenticators say actually enhance its appeal and credibility among serious collectors.
For context on Chamberlain’s market value, his 1972 Finals jersey sold for $4.9 million at Sotheby’s in 2023, making it the third-most expensive NBA jersey ever sold at auction, behind only jerseys belonging to Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan.
Chamberlain still holds the single-game NBA scoring record of 100 points, set in 1962, and is widely recognized as one of the ten greatest basketball players in the history of the sport.
Brown began reselling items as a high school junior and now operates what has become a full-time career, logging between 15 and 20 hours per week digging through Goodwill Outlet bins and accumulating more than 10,000 sales.
Before this discovery, his most notable thrift score was a vintage Sub Pop T-shirt reading “LOSER” on the front, which sold for $250 on Depop, a figure that now seems modest by comparison.
Brown, who took a gap year after graduating from Lincoln High School to pursue thrifting full-time, says he plans to invest the proceeds in an index fund or real estate and travel to Vietnam with friends.
“I really hope it goes to a true fan who will be able to appreciate the history of the jacket,” Brown said.
