Almost a dozen San Antonio Spurs jerseys valued at approximately $100,000 were allegedly stolen from former NBA player Kevin Willis in a storage locker heist. According to the police report obtained by TMZ Sports, the theft was first reported by Willis on Tuesday afternoon.
The 2003 NBA champ noticed 10 uniforms belonging to his former Spurs teammates were missing from his spot at a Roswell, Georgia, rental storage facility. Willis, 60, also told police that a rack of clothes worth about $9,000 was missing from the unit.
In a 911 call, Willis was heard telling dispatch the “high-profile” memorabilia had been stolen. The last time he visited the unit was in June. “This stuff came from when I was playing,” the ex-Spurs center said.
“These have been around for 20 years, and they took all the high-profile personnel that was on there. They took all of those. And they left four of them back or something like that.”
As police investigated the crime scene, the officers noticed the locks had been cut and were on the inside of the storage unit. Willis called for an investigation and pursued to press charges. However, no arrests have been made.
Following his NBA playing career, Willis returned to his big-and-tall clothing business, Willis & Walker. The Atlanta-based company was founded in 1988 by Willis and former Michigan State teammate Ralph Walker.
In June 2013, Montgomery County police in Maryland were called after Spurs memorabilia had been stolen during a burglary at a Potomac home. Basketballs signed by the 2005 and 2007 Spurs championship teams and two No. 21 jerseys autographed by Tim Duncan were missing.
San Antonio Spurs jerseys worth $100,000 were stolen from ex-NBA player Kevin Willis in a storage locker heist at a facility in Roswell, Georgia; no arrests have been made
Kevin Willis was selected 11th overall by the Atlanta Hawks in the 1984 NBA Draft out of Michigan State University. The 7-foot center was taken eight picks after the Chicago Bulls selected Michael Jordan.
Willis played for the Hawks (1984-94, 2004-05 season) for 11 seasons before he was traded to the Miami Heat in 1994. He received his only All-Star selection of his 21-year career with Atlanta in 1992 after averaging 18.3 points, 15.5 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game.
The center then played for the Golden State Warriors (1995-96 season), Houston Rockets (1996-98, 2001-02 season), Toronto Raptors (1998-01), and Denver Nuggets (2000-01 season).
In August 2002, Willis signed a deal with the San Antonio Spurs (2002-04) during free agency. In the 2003 NBA Finals, the Spurs defeated the New Jersey Nets in six games. The 7-footer returned to Atlanta for the 2004-05 season. Of course, he ended his career with the Dallas Mavericks in the 2006-07 season.
Kevin Willis hits a Piccadilly Circus shot in London. Watch the highlight, stay for the Gary Glitter mention. 😬
🎥 TNT (October, 1993) pic.twitter.com/MjaQYo8Dcr
— Adam Ryan | NBA history podcaster (@inallairnesspod) August 6, 2023
Willis became the oldest NBA player to appear in more than two games in a single season. The center was inactive for the 2007 NBA Playoffs. Nevertheless, his final game was played against the Seattle SuperSonics on Apr. 19, 2007, when he was 44 years and 224 days old.
Providence Steamrollers coach Nat Hickey, at age 45 years and 363 days old, activated himself for two games in 1948. At the age of 43, NBA Hall of Famer Robert Parish played 43 games with the Chicago Bulls in the 1996-97 season.
Udonis Haslem, at age 42 years and 363 days, with the Heat became the oldest person to ever play in the NBA Finals when he entered the fourth quarter of Game 3 of the 2023 NBA Finals against the Denver Nuggets. Haslem retired in July.