Long before Michael Jordan made signature basketball shoes a multibillion-dollar business, Boston Celtics star Bill Sharman was helping sell basketball footwear for Thom McAn.
Here’s a fantastic piece of vintage basketball advertising I came across in Mastro’s April 2007 auction catalog: a 1950s die-cut cardboard counter display featuring Sharman promoting his namesake Thom McAn Basketball Shoes.
Measuring approximately 21 inches tall and 16 inches wide, the colorful display features a black-and-white image of Sharman in a dribbling pose, outlined in blue against a bright red base. Above him, an oval advertises “Bill Sharman Basketball Shoes,” identifying the Celtics star as an NBA scoring champion.
Thom McAn was a major American footwear retailer during the period. I saw an ad via my Newspapers.com account that the company operated over 600 stores and offered 150 shoe styles.
Sharman was certainly a recognizable name to basketball fans. He led the NBA in free-throw percentage seven times, won four championships with the Celtics, and eventually entered the Basketball Hall of Fame as both a player and a coach.
The Mastro example was also signed by Sharman. The auction description noted that both original cardboard easels remained attached to the back, although one had been repaired with tape. Despite some minor wear, the display was described as an exceptionally well-preserved retail survivor.
I also haven’t found much additional information about Sharman’s relationship with Thom McAn, including how long the company marketed his basketball shoes or whether other advertising displays survive. I’ve seen later pieces (circa 1959) of him on Spalding marketing material.
For collectors looking for something a little easier to find, Sharman’s first Topps basketball card appeared as #5 in the landmark 1957–58 set. You can find examples of his rookie card on eBay, including some relatively affordable lower-grade copies.
If anyone has additional information about Sharman’s Thom McAn endorsement, or perhaps an original advertisement showing the shoes themselves, I’d love to hear from you!
Happy collecting!
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