Dr. J's Nets Memorabilia Fetch Nearly a Million Dollars at Auction

Julius Erving's ABA championship ring from 1974, when the New York Nets beat the Utah Stars, was sold Sunday for nearly a half million dollars, the record for any sports ring ever. The winning bidder's identity remains a secret. It was one of several  pieces of Net history that Dr. J sold at an auction run by SCP Auctions.

The final bid for the 1974 ring, which shocked auctioneers, was $460,471. His 1976 ABA championship ring went for $195,496 and his 1975 ABA MVP award sold for $173,102.

The price tag for the 1974 Nets ring was almost twice as much as what he got for his 1983 NBA ring, $244,220.  The online auction closed Sunday after being open since October.  At one point, Nets fans lobbied for the team to buy the memorabilia  and set it in a prominent space inside the Barclays Center. The Nets did not make a bid, said a team insider.

• Slam dunk for Dr. J: Erving memorabilia auction of rings, jerseys nets $3.5 million in sales - AP
• Dr. J, Ali items fetch big prices at auction - Agence France Presse
• Going Once! Going Twice! Sold!: Dr. J’s Memorabilia - Curtis Harris - Hardwood Paroxysm
• Julius Erving’s ABA Championship Ring Fetches Record Price at Auction - Erik Matuszewski - Bloomberg