Autographed commemorative Charlotte Bobcats vs. the Orlando Magic basketball: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A hand painted and autographed, game played, leather basketball used in the Charlotte Bobcats vs. the Orlando Magic game on November 6, 2004, owned by Robert Johnson. The ball has eight orange and white panels with black ribs. Five of the eight panels have text printed on them. One panel has black printed text that reads [SPALDING®]. Another panel reads [Official Game Ball / NBA / David J. Stern / COMMISIONER / NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION] printed in text of varying sizes and fonts. Printed black text over the panel with the inflation valve reads [SELECTED GRAIN / GENUINE LEATHER / E KR / MOISTEN NEEDLE / INFLATE 7 TO 9 LBS / MADE IN KOREA]. A fourth panel has a black, stylized graphic logo of a man dribbling a basketball next to large, outlined text that reads [NBA]. The fifth panel, printed with the text [SPALDING®], is hand painted over in white, with red and blue painted text and graphics printed over the painted white field. At the center is a blue outlined graphic of a bobcat depicted in profile. Its jaws are slightly open, exposing its teeth. Above the bobcat graphic is blue and grey text that reads [CHARLOTTE / BOBCATS]. Text above the graphic reads [FIRST WIN IN FRANCISE HISTORY]. Text below the graphic reads [CHARLOTTE BOBCATS 111 – ORLANDO MAGIC 100 / NOVEMBER 6, 2004]. Vertical handwritten to the left of the white panel reads [AnKara / designs / 2005] with a flourish next to the year. One panel has the text [CHARLOTTE / BOBCATS] debossed on the surface. All seven orange panels feature autographs from the Charlotte Bobcats players and team personnel. Autographs include President of Bobcats Basketball Holdings Ed Tapscott, [Ed Tapscott]; Coach Bernie Bickerstaff, [B Bicksff]; Assistant Coach J.B. Bickerstaff, [JB BFF]; Assistant Coach Gary Brokaw, [Gary Brokaw]; Assistant Coach Jeff Capel, [Jeff Capl]; Assistant Coach Gary Kloppenburg, [Gary Kloppenburg]; Assistant Coach John Outlaw, [John Outlaw]; Player #35 Malik Allen, [MA / 35]; Player #10 Keith Bogans, [Keith B / #10]; Player #7 Pimoz Brezec, [P / B/ #7]; Player #2 Melvin Ely, [M Ely / #2]; Player #1 Jason Hart, [# / JH]; Player #5 Eddie House, [E / H / #5]; Player #24 Jason Kapono, [JK / 24]; Player #22 Brevin Knight, [Be Knt / 22]; Player #50 Emeka Okafor, [Emeka Okafor / #50]; Player #21 Bernard Robinson, [#21 / Bd R]; Player #31 Jamal Sampson, [Jamal Sampson]; Player #32 Tamar Slay, [T Sly / 32]; Player #8 Steve Smith, [Steve / S / #8]; and Player #0 Theron Smith, [TS / #0[encircled]].

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: November 6, 2004
• Manufactured by: Spalding, American, founded 1876
• Designed by: AnKara Designs, American, founded 1991
• Owned by: Robert L. Johnson, American, born 1946
• Subject of: Charlotte Hornets, American, founded 1988
• Subject of: Orlando Magic, American, founded 1989
• Subject of: National Basketball Association, American, founded 1946
• Subject of: Ed Tapscott, American, born 1953
• Subject of: Bernie Bickerstaff, American, born 1944
• Medium: ink and paint on leather
• Dimensions: H x W x D: 9 1/2 × 9 1/2 × 9 1/2 in. (24.1 × 24.1 × 24.1 cm)
• Place collected: Bethesda, Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, North and Central America
• Place made: Korea, Asia
• Place used: Charlotte, Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Athletes
• Topic: Basketball
• Topic: Black Enterprise
• Topic: Business
• Topic: Sports
• Topic: Television
• Object number: 2020.16.1
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Robert L. Johnson, Founder of Black Entertainment Television (BET) and First African American Majority Owner of a National Basketball Association Team, The Charlotte Bobcats
• Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of African American History and Culture through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed. The underlying object's rights statement is: © National Basketball Association Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.