1926-27 Important photograph of the New York Original Celtics basketball team in uniform and posing after a hard fought game. This was the dominant franchise of early professional basketball and this lineup is an incredible assemblage of Hall of Famers and superstars. The photo includes Davey Banks (early Jewish star) and Hall of Famers Nat Holman, Joe Lapchick, Dutch Dehnert and John Barry. The players are pictured in uniform (two different styles) and the paper caption on the back notes that they had just beaten the Chicago Bruins at the Broadway Armory in front of the largest crowd in professional basketball history. It is impossible to overstate the importance of this early professional basketball photograph as the league was small and images of the events were rarely taken with this being among the greatest to ever surface in the hobby. The photo is from the archives of Underwood and Underwood and will get a Type 1 from PSA for sure. This photo is worthy of a spot in the basketball Hall of Fame or even the most advanced collection in the world! There is some wear from news room use, but it looks better than the technical grade and is the nicest of the two examples we have ever handled.
Size: 8x10
Designation: Vintage 1
Condition: 3/5
Quality: 5/5
Overall Grade: 8/10