The Flagg Collection #5 – Michael Jordan “Wings” (1987) Nike 6-Foot Wall Poster

For real, serious sports poster collectors and enthusiasts, this feature is for you! On a periodic basis, I’ll be using this blog to display and describe the holdings of The Flagg Collection – the personal collection of rare and vintage posters held by me, Neil Flagg, the founder and President of SportsPosterWarehouse.com.

For the fifth entry in this blog series, it’s one of the most famous sports posters of all-time – Michael Jordan “Wings”, the iconic black-and-white classic that turns, believe it or not, 30 years old this year. No serious poster collection is complete without this one, the all-time best-selling Nike poster, from the prime of the MJ era:

From the Air Jordan III era, when Nike’s MJ-branded sneaker line was reaching its peak, it features the simple photographic image of the 24-year-old pre-Championship-era Michael extending his ripped arms to show off his incredible wingspan, palming the ball with his right hand as he did in game-action every night to hold on for miraculous slam dunks.

Proving the old adage that “less is more”, the designers at Nike were smart enough to keep it simple – the photo in black-and-white, simple block letters “W-I-N-G-S” along the top white border, and the Nike swoosh in the bottom border along with the verse of poetry that every MJ fan has memorized:

This specific poster held in The Flagg Collection is from a mid-1990s printing of this poster. It went through many, many press runs throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s, and was certainly one of the top-selling posters of all-time. The first printing, to our knowledge, was a full 24″x72″ edition. They later cut it down to 23″x71″, as this one is, to fit the store racks of the day. Beware of knock-offs out of Asia – unscrupulous counterfeiters have flooded the modern market with cheap, smaller illegal reproductions that you can find for just a few dollars. Originals like this, however, regularly sell for hundreds of dollars at auction. This one, as with most of the holdings of The Flagg Collection, I’ve had this one canvas-transferred to preserve it forever with durability, in an easy-to-display format.

Blackhawks Decorate Chicago; What’s Up, Philly? Hawks, Flyers Posters Available Here

Well, we are finally here. After 82 regular season games, plus 16 and 17 playoff games respectably, the Chicago Blackhawks and Philadelphia Flyers have made it to the big show, the Stanley Cup Finals. Both teams are now in for the fight of their lives, for the greatest achievement in all of Hockey, to hoist Lord Stanleys Cup.

While this is a massively important event for both cities, one has stepped up to the plate more than the other.

Chicago has full on Stanley Cup fever. They have taken 2 of the cities most famous and memorable statues and decked them out in Blackhawks gear. The two statues that I am speaking of are the Michael Jordan in front of the United Center and the Lion in front of the Art Institute of Chicago. These pieces have made nation wide news and a focal point for hockey lovers far and wide.

Michael Jordan adorns a red Toews jersey and a while helmet.

After 2 games, and 2 wins by the Blackhawks, it seems that this publicity stunt may have sparked something. The Flyers seems flat and frustrated, while the Hawks have clearly been the dominant team.

While the lion is wearing a custom made over sized Blackhawks helmet.

With the series now going back to Philly can the high skill level of the Hawks be enough to take complete control of the series? Or will the sea of orange be enough to ignite a flame in the Flyers game. Only time will tell, but from where I am sitting being a Blackhawk is a pretty good thing right about now.

Michael Jordan 1988 Slam Dunk Championship Print, 1987 Slam Dunk Champ, 1989 Dunk

UPDATE 2/14/2013 – We now have the 1988 image back in stock! Click here for this amazing 20″x24″ print.

Serious Michael Jordan collectors are aware that perhaps the most famous MJ photograph ever taken – the straight-on mid-flight free-throw-line-takeoff dunk that won him the 1998 All-Star Slam Dunk Contest championship on his home court in Chicago – hasn’t been available in any format for years (except for those $1,000+ autographed editions that no one actually buys). The old Nike “MVP” poster was in print from 1988 until about 2001, but was discontinued by Nike when they retired their entire poster line around that time. Meanwhile, Photofile had a slightly different photographic angle available as part of its Jordan collection until last year, but it wasn’t nearly as good a shot, and Photofile lost its MJ license in late 2008.

Upper Deck is now the exclusive license holder for Michael Jordan images, and they’ve come kicking-and-screaming into releasing three classics – including the ’88 Slam Dunk shot – in 8″x10″ matted photo reprint format. They’re not doing poster size, but these are quite beautiful in their own right. Check out full details by clicking on the image or below. In stock now!

Michael Jordan “Classic Dunks Trio” – Upper Deck Co.

These are spectacular. Each one comes as an 8″x10″, but if you factor in the size of the matting, and put the three on the wall together, it will fill up even more space on your wall than your average poster. A brilliant exclusive from Sports Poster Warehouse!

Madison Square Gardens In All It’s Glory-Poster Format

When it comes to sports, Madison Square Gardens is one of the most historic, prestigious and memorable buildings in the world. It derives its name from the park where the first two gardens were located. As the venue moved to new locations, the name still stuck. Home of the New York Rangers, New York Knicks and countless of other headline events of the years, the Gardens is a focal point in the sports and entertainment world. MSG hosts over 300 events per year, however some of them are more prolific than others. Thus, Sports Poster Warehouse will help you recall some of the most significant moments in Madison Square Gardens history!

Michael Jordan Power Slam Poster

November 8, 1984 – Michael Jordan plays his first game as a professional at MSG, and drops 33 against the Knicks. He left midway through the 4th quarter of this game to a standing ovation from the energized crowd.

WWE Super Stars Poster

March 31, 1985 – The World Wrestling Federation presents the inaugural WrestleMania. The annual event would return to Madison Square Garden in 1994 and 2004 for WrestleMania X and WrestleMania XX, celebrating the 10th and 20th anniversaries of WrestleMania.

Victory On Ice Panorama!

The long wait is over! After more than 50 years, The New York Rangers finally capture the ultimate goal, the Stanley Cup. A game 7 victory over the Vancouver Canucks, winning goal by Captain Mark Messier – life couldn’t be sweeter. Madison Square Garden hasn’t seen excitement like this in years.

Wayne Gretzky FINAL FAREWELL Panoramic Poster

It was one of the most emotional moments in hockey history – after 20 years of thrilling crowds, setting records and winning cups, The Great One decided it was time to move on. In the pre-game ceremony, with friends and colleagues from throughout his career on hand, and a packed house at Madison Square Garden applauding as one, Wayne Gretzky gave his next-to-final salute to the fans while in uniform.

Kobe Bryant Airborne

On February 2, 2009, Kobe Bryant of Los Angeles Lakers scored 61 points in a 126–117 win over the Knicks. It is the highest single game scoring total for an NBA player at MSG.

For these and other great sports posters, visit http://www.sportsposterwarehouse.com.

Vintage NBA Posters

In part 2 of our 4 part series of the ‘Top 5 Moments In Each Sport’s History’ segment, we examine those of the NBA.

Through the 63 years of it’s existence, the NBA has been able to showcase the likes of Bill Russell, Red Auerbach, Wilt Chamberlain,  Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Julius Erving, Walt Frazier,  George Gervin, Pete Maravich, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird and of course Michael Jordan.

These players both thrilled crowds and revolutionized the game. Their remarkable play inspired others and also served to create great memories for all of us sports fans. The staff at Sports Poster Warehouse salute some of the NBA’s greatest with our top 5 moments in NBA history.

5. First, they transformed the Final Four. Then, they revitalized the NBA! From their legendary battle in the 1979 NCAA Finals, through their countless regular-season and NBA Finals grudge matches throughout the 1980s, to their ultimate union as teammates on the Olympic Dream Team in 1992, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson define an entire era in basketball. While other stars came and went, and the supporting casts were legendary in their own right, it was “Bird vs. Magic” that captured the imagination of a generation of fans.

4. Friday, June 13, 1997. United Center, Chicago. Game 6 of the NBA Finals. Bulls lead the series 3 Games to 2, and lead the game 64-60 with 3:57 left in the third. Michael Jordan looks on, in the midst of another magnificent performance, as Dennis Rodman steps to the line. The air is thick with excitement – will the Bulls wrap it up tonight? How will it end? Will Rodman clunk another one off the rim? SNAP! The moment is captured for all-time, in glorious panoramic detail.

3. A cult hero in New York, Earl “The Pearl” Monroe was a master of the dribble – an ABA-style player in the ’70s NBA who helped razzle-dazzle the Knicks to the 1973 Championship. Along with Walt Frazier, Monroe helped form one of the most exciting backcourts in league history! Enshrined in the Hall of Fame in 1990, and named to the NBA’s 50-greatest team in 1996, there’s no forgetting the impact of The Black Jesus on basketball’s evolution.

2. One of the greatest rivalries in the history of the NBA, one of the most famous photographs in sports history! For the entire decade of the 1960s, centers Bill Russell of the Boston Celtics and Wilt Chamberlain of the Philadelphia/San Francisco Warriors and Philadelphia 76ers went head-to-head, with every meeting becoming a heavyweight tilt.

1. From the prime of his other-worldly NBA career, this amazing print features the legendary Michael Jordan in a spectacular sky-high slam-dunk moment, soaring high in the air to lay down another dagger on the opposition Orlando Magic. Printed on high-quality paper stock from the original photographic source exclusively for SportsPosterWarehouse.com, and completed with serialized NBA Properties hologram for authenticity, this print will bring back memories of Air Jordan dominance with every glance!

For these and other great vintage NBA posters, visit http://www.sportsposterwarehouse.com.