APPRAISER: You brought us this 1982 championship signed basketball by the NCAA basketball champions of that year, the University of North Carolina Tar Heels. How did you get this?
GUEST: Each year, our school will have a fundraising effort. And Coach Smith and some of the other coaches in the league would give us memorabilia to do it. So Coach Smith came up with the idea. He wanted to donate one to our school. And he said for the second one, "Why don't you get one and keep it for yourself?"
APPRAISER: How did you know Dean Smith?
GUEST: Well, I was blessed to be a college basketball referee for 32 years. I refereed the ACC, the Big East, the Big 12, Southern Conference, Southeast Conference.
APPRAISER: But Carolina was included in the ACC.
GUEST: Yes.
APPRAISER: Back in 1982, this was Dean Smith's first championship. And he had been with the team since 1961.
GUEST: Yes.
APPRAISER: So when you reffed-- and this was the '80s and '90s-- what were your favorite calls to make?
GUEST: The right one.
APPRAISER: That's a good answer. I was at school at Carolina when they won the championship in 1982, so this to me brings back tremendous, wonderful memories. You have one of the greatest basketball teams of all time, led by the freshman Michael Jordan, future Hall-of-Famer, James Worthy, future Hall-of-Famer, the great Sam Perkins. And if you remember the championship game, they played Georgetown. I'm assuming you didn't ref that game.
GUEST: I did not referee the game. That's the one where James Worthy intercepted the pass.
APPRAISER: That's right, and you know, that game was a seesaw game, the championship game between Georgetown and Carolina. Georgetown featured the freshman Patrick Ewing. 15 lead changes, Dean had not won a championship, his 21st season at that point, 1982. Here we are with Michael Jordan, tongue out, trademark, 17 seconds, taking the winning shot. One of the most exciting college basketball games in history, and a great championship for UNC. This basketball that you have is spectacular in that it looks like you just got it yesterday.
GUEST: Well, we've kept it in the case. I don't think I've had that in my hands, maybe once.
APPRAISER: Well, that's good.
GUEST: And I've had it more today than I've had it in my lifetime.
APPRAISER: We've got Dean right on here, the great Dean Smith. When he retired in 1997, he was the leading Division A coach. So you've got Dean, and then of course you have Michael Jordan here. This was the seminal moment where the legend of Michael Jordan was born.
GUEST: Yes, it certainly was, because we all remember that he was cut on his high school basketball team.
APPRAISER: That's right. And then of course he went on to win this, graduate after three years and then won six championships with the Bulls. Valuewise, because of the condition and because of the provenance, I would put an insurance value on this of $10,000.
GUEST: Oh!
GUEST: My wife just about fainted over there on the side.
APPRAISER: So you've made this Tar Heel very happy.
GUEST: Well, you have made us extremely happy, and I thank you.
