Ben Berger Owner & Sid Hartman GM Minneapolis Lakers 1955 Signed AUTO payroll check PSA/DNA

Ben Berger(d. 1988) was a Minneapolis businessman, perhaps best known for being one of the original owners of the Detroit Gems National Basketball League team, which he helped move to Minneapolis and renamed the Minneapolis Lakers. In 1947, he along with Morris Chalfen bought the Detroit Gems of the National Basketball League. They relocated and renamed the team the Minneapolis Lakers. He co-owned the team until 1957. During those years the Lakers won 6 league titles (1 NBL and 5 BAA/NBA). They sold the team in 1957. In the late 1950s, Berger was the owner and president of the minor league hockey team, the Minneapolis Millers.Sid Hartman(D. 2020) As a 27-year-old in 1947, Hartman became the acting general manager of the Minneapolis Lakers. Hartman helped build what would become the first dynasty in the NBA. He later became a staple in Minnesota as a sportswriter and broadcaster. He inducted Bud Grant into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1994. Hartman passed away in 2020.Offered is Minneapolis payroll check dated April 8, 1955 made out to Hartman (signed on the back) and on the front by team owner, Ben Berger.Scarce piece of early NBA history!