Couple finds $35,000 worth of ex-Magic player’s Nick Anderson memorabilia in storage
Any Orlando Magic fans with a spare $35,000 might want to head over to Facebook Marketplace.
A listing billed as a “personal complete collection of Nick Anderson” popped up Tuesday on the e-commerce site. Some of the items include Anderson’s 1986 Illinois Mr. Basketball trophy, his 1988-89 NCAA Final Four ring and his Final Four MVP award.
The sellers, a Central Florida couple who agreed to talk on the condition of anonymity, said the items were housed in a storage unit that once belonged to Anderson’s ex-wife. She stopped paying the bill and once the unit went up for auction, they snagged it last Wednesday.
“I had no real idea what was in [the unit] but as soon as I opened it up and opened the first box my heart sank,” the husband said in a phone interview.
The couple added that they reached out to Anderson with a price but never heard back. They also did the same with the Magic and the NBA veteran’s alma mater of University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign but couldn’t reach an agreement. Giving the items away wasn’t an option as flipping storage units has become a side hustle for them due to the economic strain of COVID-19.
In addition to the aforementioned memorabilia, the collection also includes a game-worn Simeon Career Academy jersey, a 1985-86 Gatorade National Player of the Year certificate and numerous other items.
“This is not something that people come across after doing this for 10 years,” the husband said of his find.
A Chicago native, Anderson played two years at Illinois before the Magic made him the franchise’s first pick in the 1989 NBA Draft. He spent 10 years in Orlando but also had short stints with the Sacramento Kings and Memphis Grizzlies towards the end of his career. The swingman retired in 2002 with career averages of 14 points per game and 5 rebounds.
Freelance reporter Bob Emanuel Jr. contributed to this report.
This story was originally published July 15, 2020 at 2:36 PM.
