Even Rick Harrison didn’t see this coming. One of Pawn Stars’ most jaw-dropping moments unfolded when NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar walked into a private memorabilia viewing and personally authenticated his own items, leaving the normally unshakable Harrison visibly stunned.
The Gold & Silver Pawn Shop sees its fair share of unhinged scammers and genuine collectors all at once. But it’s this unpredictability is what makes the show so entertaining, because no one really knows what to expect when a seller walks up to him, especially when it’s a towering NBA legend.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s NBA Memorabilia Gets Rick Harrison Moving
The stakes are high, and Harrison knows that the business simply can’t run on taking chances. So, oftentimes, he lets Austin “Chumlee” Russell and Corey Harrison hold down the pawn shop while he embarks on side quests to track down rare items to add to his collection. During one of his many adventures, Harrison learned about an upcoming auction in New Jersey where a collection of NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s memorabilia was up for grabs. Without wasting time, he got in touch with the curator, Ken, and arranged for a private viewing before the auction was opened up to the public.
Given Harrison’s special interest in sports, he was more than ready to drop a few grand on Jabbar’s former possessions. The athlete played 20 professional seasons as part of the Milwaukee Bucks and then the Los Angeles Lakers. During his career, Abdul-Jabbar won the NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) award six times. Not just that, but he was also a 19-time NBA All-Star, which makes him one of the greatest ballers of all time. Now, Ken’s incredible collection actually included the official MVP award that the athlete had won in 1975-76. This was perhaps Abdul-Jabbar’s best season as he led the league with 17 rebounds a game.
Despite His Excitement, Harrison Views Every Item With a Healthy Dose of Skepticism
The reality star was already sold, but that’s when the collector brought out a pair of goggles that the athlete would wear during games to protect his eyes. Since there were only two pairs of these that the NBA star ever used, Harrison immediately wanted his hands on them. However, Ken wasn’t done just yet. His collection also included Abdul-Jabbar’s 1979 All-Star Game Jersey, which even had dirt marks on it. The grand finale, though, came when he brought out the 1987-88 Los Angeles Lakers back-to-back ring that was presented to the athlete and ended up being the final championship he won in his career.
After Harrison was done marveling at all the memorabilia, it was time to talk numbers. The most expensive item in the collection was the ring, which was worth $375,000. The asking price for the trophy was $300,000, while the jersey was up for $125,000. Usually, Harrison doesn’t think twice before splurging on items that he has a personal interest in. But he wanted to be sure that he was spending his money on the real deal. So, he returned the next day with his sports expert, Daniel Wulkan. However, the reality star had no idea that the NBA legend himself was going to show up and authenticate his items! The minute Wulkan started raising suspicion about the jersey, Abdul-Jabbar walked in to confirm that all of Ken’s items were 100% real.
Rick Harrison Got the Deal of a Lifetime Thanks to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Considering that Harrison is a man who is rarely thrown off by anything, seeing him starstruck was pretty fascinating. The pawn shop owner is used to cracking multi-million-dollar deals, but meeting one of the greatest athletes of all time was a different experience, even for him. However, it took him about half a minute to snap back to reality and negotiate with Ken, especially since Abdul-Jabbar offered to attend a Lakers game with him. At the end of the day, Harrison bought the goggles for $25,000, and the price was well worth it since the deal also included tickets to go to the Lakers game with the NBA star.
The Authenticity of ‘Pawn Stars’ Shines Through in Moments Like These
Abdul-Jabbar’s appearance on Pawn Stars wasn’t just a random celebrity appearance. While many people consider this genre of reality shows to be mindless entertainment, moments like these prove that it’s so much more than that. Harrison’s authenticity and dedication to the antique business have always attracted A-listers such as Bob Dylan, Steve Carell, and Phil Collen.
However, whenever the reality star comes face-to-face with these icons, he is so much more than a sharp negotiator. Deep down, the entrepreneur is a simple man who gets excited at the thought of meeting his icons and sharing his love of antiques with them. Watching him geek out over sports memorabilia or a signed T-shirt now and then makes Pawn Stars feel grounded and breaks away from the usual transactional format of other similar shows.
Pawn Stars is available to stream on Netflix.
Pawn Stars
- Release Date
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July 19, 2009
- Network
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History
- Directors
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Shannon Biggs
