Photograph of Len Bias on NBA Draft Day, with newspaper clipping: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

Black and white photograph (a) of Len Bias on NBA Draft Day, with newspaper clipping (b).

Bias is depicted on the right side of the image wearing a Celtics cap and a striped, light-colored suit with a dark necktie. There is an NBA Draft badge clipped to the chest pocket. He has a Celtics gym bag hanging on his proper left forearm. His dad, James, stands next to Len, looking up at him. He wears a dark colored suit and tie. There is a camera man partially visible just behind Len, and a large crowd of spectators in the far background.

Adhered to the verso is a folded newspaper clipping from the Friday, June 20, 1986 edition of the Boston Herald with the article on Draft Day that featured the photograph. The back of the clipping has an article about the Celtics arena, along with a political cartoon.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 1986
• Photograph by: Jim Mahoney
• Published by: Boston Herald, American, founded 1846
• Subject of: Len Bias, American, 1963 - 1986
• Subject of: Boston Celtics, American, founded 1946
• Type: gelatin silver prints
• Type: articles
• Medium: .2a silver and photographic gelatin on photographic paper;
• Medium: .2b ink on newsprint with adhesive
• Dimensions: H x W (.2a image): 9 1/2 × 7 1/2 in. (24.1 × 19.1 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W (.2a sheet): 10 × 8 in. (25.4 × 20.3 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W (.2b clipping): 8 1/2 × 7 1/4 in. (21.6 × 18.4 cm)
• Place depicted: Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Athletes
• Topic: Basketball
• Topic: Sports
• Topic: U.S. History, 1969-2001
• Object number: 2023.44.2ab
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
• 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: © Boston Herald Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.