Another “storage unit find” has put items from the life and career of former basketball star Nick Anderson in the Facebook Marketplace.
Anderson’s 1989 Final Four ring and trophy, a game-worn high school jersey, numerous high school and college awards, photos, autographs and other memorabilia were left in a unit that was recently sold. There were letters and envelopes from fans as well along with some basketball cards.
According to the Florida couple who bought the unit’s contents last week, the unit was being rented by Anderson’s ex-wife, who stopped paying the bill. New owner Bill Visel told SC Daily he was told Anderson’s former wife had been paying rent automatically but then moved away. He says the storage business tried contacting her for several months but to no avail and the unit’s contents were then placed up for auction.
Visel says he was the winning bidder but didn’t really know what was inside until after the boxes were opened. The items they found have been been put up for sale on Facebook with an asking price of $35,000. The Miami Herald first wrote about the find on Wednesday.
Anderson grew up in Chicago and was a nationally acclaimed high school star before enrolling at the University of Illinois. He spent two years there, leading the Illini to the Final Four before the Magic selected him with the first draft pick in franchise history 31 years ago. He had a long NBA career, mostly spent with the Magic, before retiring in 2002.
The new owners say they buy and sell abandoned storage units to earn extra money and that they tried reaching out to Anderson, hoping to sell it back to him but didn’t get a response.
Bill Visel says he also contacted the Magic, where Anderson works in community relations and as a part-time broadcaster, but got no reply. Conversations with the athletic department at Illinois apparently were had, but didn’t result in an agreement.
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