At the 1948 London Summer Olympics the U.S. Men’s Basketball team competed against 22 other nations with all games played outdoors at Wembley Stadium. Coached by Omar Browning and Adolph Rupp the U.S. went a perfect 8-0 winning by an average of 34 points and annihilating France in the finals 65-21 to claim their second straight Olympic gold medal. (U.S. won the first ever basketball tournament at the 1936 Berlin Games but both the 1940 and ’44 Games were canceled due to World War II.) Team USA was led by 6’ 7” center Alex Groza one of five Kentucky Wildcats on the team who played for Rupp in college. The other four were Alex Groza Kenny Rollins Wallace Jones Ralph Beard and a 6’ 2” forward named Cliff Barker. While at UK Barker was an All-SEC Second Team and All-SEC Tournament guard during the 1947-48 and 1948-49 seasons. He went on to play for the now-defunct Indianapolis Olympians of the NBA.

This lot features Cliff Barker’s 1948 Olympic game-worn USA #23 full uniform as well as his personal Olympic ID card. The white U.S. Olympic cotton jersey worn by Barker shows its age with some small moth-eaten holes on its back. On the front of the jersey is Barker’s uniform number “23” in blue on red tackle twill stretching four inches high. On the left shoulder is the team’s official Olympic embroidered patch while red-and-blue trim outlines the collar and sleeves. The back of the jersey sports Barker’s uniform number again in blue on red tackle twill this time the numbers stretching eight inches tall. The proper Wilson manufacturer’s tag appears on the inside rear tail with an attached strip tag reading: “23-BARKER.”

The accompanying white silk trunks include the proper Wilson manufacturers tag on the inside fly with an attached strip tag reading: “23-BARKER 34” to indicate his number name and waist size. The trunks are trimmed in red and blue and include the official Olympic embroidered patch on the left front. A separate red white and blue belt with a silver buckle is also part of the shorts which include some small blood stains in the front and show plenty of wear throughout and fraying on the trim. All four original white buttons in the crotch area remain intact. Additional staining and light discoloration appears on the back side of the shorts.

Lastly Barker’s signed Olympic ID card which resembles a passport (4” wide by 5.5” high) and was issued by the Organizing Committee of the XIV Olympiad completes the lot. It includes his black-and-white head shot on the front with “XIV OLYMPIAD LONDON 1948” called out and his signature in blue ink. The ID card is dated July 5 1948 and is also signed in two places by the then-Secretary of the National Olympic Committee.