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1989-90 Larry Bird Game-Worn Celtics Warm-Up Jacket

1989-90 Larry Bird Game-Worn Celtics Warm-Up Jacket Larry Bird’s illustrious career already had Springfield and the Basketball Hall of Fame attached to it as he finished his 9th season in 1987-88, so the debilitating back injury which limited him to six games in ’88-89 was no factor in his decision to stay on the hardwood. In fact, Bird played on for three more seasons scoring 24.3, 19.4 and 20.2 respectively, all the while supine on the parquet, resting his ailing back during time outs. This home white jacket hails from his ’89-90 comeback season. In traditional styling featuring striped and ribbed sleeve cuffs, elasticized waist, snap button front, “cheese cloth” material, and shamrock sleeve logos, the jacket captures Bird in late career. The most important feature is the NOB “B-I-R-D” which is sewn in 2” plain block lettering on a contrasting 4” x 12” kelly-green twill plate. The plates were velcroed to the jacket back during the ‘70s and early ‘80s, but by the time the Bird/Parish/McHale era was in full swing, the Celtics were forced to sew the plates permanently because rabid fans were ripping them off the players’ backs at every opportunity. The interior shows evidence of the velcro edges having been removed in favor of the zig-zag stitch which stretches around the entire perimeter. The collar tagging is extensive and exquisite with a year tag (89), an exclusivity tag, a Sand Knit size 46 principal label, 2” LB swatch and a blank swatch for numeric identification. The wear is season-long solid, making this an outstanding Bird late-career warm-up.

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