A complete set of all six Chicago Bulls championship rings belonging to Bulls security guard John Capps sold for a combined $255,840 early Friday morning as Huggins & Scott closed out its Fall Aucton. The rings were auctioned individually.
Capps was prominently featured in the Last Dance documentary with Michael Jordan. The former Chicago policeman Capps sported a trademark Kangol hat and was a fixture behind the Bulls bench for more than 50 years. He died in 2018 at age 88.
Capps sat guard outside the locker room before games, accompanied Bulls coaches to the court, and assumed his post behind the bench. Over the decades he was an ever-present greeter and father figure to the likes of Love, Sloan, Gilmore, Jordan and Pippen.
Pippen told a much-repeated anecdote in The Last Dance about how Jordan had ongoing friendly bets with Capps about the outcomes of races shown on the Jumbotron during timeouts. True to his competitive edge, Jordan always got insider information from the arena’s video crew.
“Capps was part of that scene when we started the Bulls,” Colangelo said upon his death. “He was there front and center. He was part of the whole picture in terms of our presentation. We felt he was a part of the team like a coach, a player. Capps was one of the guys; always did a great job. It’s the passing of an era.” John Paxson also paid tribute: “Great person and a man who would always tell you straight up what he thought. He was tough, a Marine and over the last few years he was struggling physically, but he would never let you know. Home games won’t be the same without John Capps sitting outside our locker room.”
Above all else, Capps’ legacy is defined by his membership in the elite club of Bulls personnel who were there for all six NBA championships—and who thus received the complete set of each of the club’s championship rings. No more than a handful of upper-level staff ever held that rarefied distinction, in addition to, of course, the triumvirate of six-time champions Jordan, Pippen and Phil Jackson.
Bidding for the rings began at $5,000 each. The 1991 championship ring sold for $39,360, the 1992 title ring sold for $47,970, the 1993 title ring went for $45,510, the 1996 championship ring was auctioned for $24,600 and the 1997 and 1998 title rings sold for $49,200 each.
Other top items included a sealed case of 1981 Topps football boxes, which sold for over $55,000; a 2012 National Treasures Russell Wilson Rookie Materials Autograph PSA 10 ($27,000), a PSA 7.5 1961-62 Fleer Wilt Chamberlain rookie card ($24,600) and a sealed wax case of 1983 Topps baseball ($23,100).
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