On October 29, 1996, at the Grand Hyatt in New York City, where the original NBA charter was signed in 1946, Commissioner David Stern announced the NBA’s 50 Greatest Players in commemoration of the league’s 50^th anniversary. At the 1997 NBA All-Star Game in Cleveland, 47 of these 50 Greatest players – selected by a panel of media members, former players, coaches and GMs – were in attendance to be honored at halftime. Each player was given a 1^st Edition copy of this offered “NBA at 50” hardcover book featuring individual pages of the Top 50 players with their photos, bios and quotes. During that ’97 All-Star Weekend the league held a dinner with this massive group. One member, Hall of Fame power forward Jerry Lucas, brought his very own copy to the event and had everyone there sign it. The only “50 Greatest” members that did not attend were Shaquille O’Neal and Jerry West – Lucas’ teammate on USA’s 1960 Olympic gold medal squad.

47 of the NBA’s 50 Greatest Players in History, all of whom are now enshrined in the Naismith Hall of Fame, have autographed their Top 50 page in Jerry Lucas’ personal book. David Stern signed inside the front cover and Hall of Famer Connie Hawkins (not a “50 Greatest” member), who also attended the dinner, has signed it twice (page 13 and inside the back cover) for a grand total of 50 signatures. Included (deceased in bold) are: Michael Jordan (pg. 111), Wilt Chamberlain (pg. 130), Bill Russell (pg. 79), George Mikan (pg. 102), Oscar Robertson (pg. 94), Elgin Baylor (pg. 128), Magic Johnson (pg. 90), Larry Bird (pg. 125), Charles Barkley (pg. 106), Julius Erving (pg. 105), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (pg. 85), Bill Walton (pg. 126), Bob Cousy (pg. 80), Sam Jones (pg. 83), Walt Frazier (pg. 82), Willis Reed (pg. 88), Earl Monroe (pg. 89), Isiah Thomas (pg. 86), Billy Cunningham (pg. 87), Scottie Pippen (pg. 92), James Worthy (pg. 93), Hakeem Olajuwon (pg. 96), Patrick Ewing (pg. 97), Rick Barry (pg. 98), Hal Greer (pg. 99), Moses Malone (pg. 100), Elvin Hayes (pg. 101), Dave Cowens (pg. 104), Wes Unseld (pg. 108), Dave DeBusschere (pg. 109), Dolph Schayes (p. 112), Tiny Archibald (pg. 113), Bob Petit (pg. 116), Jerry Lucas (pg. 117), George Gervin (pg. 118), Dave Bing (pg. 119), John Havlicek (pg. 121), Bill Sharman (pg. 122), Lenny Wilkens (pg. 123), Robert Parrish (pg. 127), Clyde Drexler (pg. 131), Nate Thurmond (pg. 132), Paul Arizin (pg. 133), Kevin McHale (pg. 134), David Robinson (pg. 135), John Stockton (pg. 136), and Karl Malone (pg. 137).

Mr. Lucas regrets not getting Shaq or his buddy “The Logo” to sign the book a later date since both had missed the ’97 All-Star festivities. Nevertheless, it’s still the most comprehensive collection of NBA’s 50 Greatest Players ever to have signed the “NBA at 50” book, and the provenance is as good as it gets. 16 of the 47 signers have now passed away, making this congregation of autographs even more sacred and valuable.

The first edition book, measuring 10.5” by 12.25” with its original dust jacket, shows moderate wear and handling, having been browsed through several times. That’s understandable as the photos, captions, quotes and stories provided by editor Mark Vancil (forwarded by David Halberstam) make it tough to put down. It takes you back to the NBA’s yesteryear, from the Celtics ‘60s and disco ‘70s to the Showtime ‘80s and Bulls ‘90s. Includes a full LOA from PSA/DNA and a letter of provenance from Ohio State legend, 1960 Gold Medalist and seven-time All-Star Jerry Lucas.