Even though Artis Gilmore holds a special place in Chicago Bulls and ABA history, we don’t hear his name mentioned often when discussing the players to ever do it.
Gilmore played for 18 years from 1971 to 1989 and built an illustrious career in multiple leagues, even retiring as the NBA’s career leader in field goal percentage at that time.
From his day at Jacksonville University to dominating with the Kentucky Colonels over his five-year ABA career, Gilmore carried himself as a person whose “low-key disposition offset his impressive physical stature,” according to his Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame bio reads.
That’s why today, we’re going to honor one of the great centers of the 70s and 80s and one of the first guys who put the Chicago Bulls on the map after several losing seasons. Get ready to know the story of the A-Train.
Artis Gilmore – The Beginnings
Like many early Hall of Famers, Artis Gilmore didn’t have much growing up in Chipley, Florida. Gilmore’s father was a fisherman and with nine siblings, he went barefoot when his feet grew beyond a size 13, as local stores didn’t have anything his size and he couldn’t afford special shoes anyway.
Even so, the A-Train and his family managed to get through all the financial difficulties and stay focused in basketball and school.
Artis Gilmore – High School
Gilmore was already 6’5” by the time he turned 15 so, naturally, people often joked about him having a professional career in basketball. Following integration, he attended Chipley High School briefly before leaving to Dothan, Alabama to attend Carver High School. By the time he graduated, he was 6’10” and drawing plenty of interest around the state.
Artis Gilmore – University Basketball
Following his success in high school, Gilmore enrolled at Gardner-Webb Junior College in North Carolina, playing two seasons for Eddie Holbrook. There, Gilmore led the Runnin’ Bulldogs to the NJCAA tournament in consecutive seasons.
By the time his sophomore year was over, he had already grown over seven feet (7’2”) and was one of the most impressive physical specimens in the nation. His ability to block shots left and right was nearly unmatched at the time.
Artis Gilmore – Transfering to Jacksonville University
Gilmore transferred to Jacksonville University and immediately led them to the NCAA Championship game against the UCLA Bruins in his junior season. Unfortunately, despite his efforts, they couldn’t get past John Wooden’s team in the national championship game. Still, he became’s the NCAA Division I all-time leader in rebounds per game at 22.7.
Artis Gilmore – Days In The American Basketball Association
The Kentucky Colonels drafted Gilmore to join them in the ABA. However, he was also taken by the Chicago Bulls for the then-less popular NBA.
NBA teams weren’t likely to be able to afford such a marquee name and other ABA clubs knew that him being around was good for the league, so they let the Kentucky Colonels get him with the seventh-overall pick.
The A-Train made an immediate impact and became one of the most dominant forces right away, leading the league in rebounds in four consecutive seasons. Side by side with Dan Issel, he led the Kentucky Colonels to the ABA championship in 1975. Even though he only played there for five seasons, Gilmore remains one of the biggest ABA legends of all time.
Artis Gilmore – Better Than Dr. J?
During his days in the ABA, some considered Gilmore to be the best player in the World. As a matter of fact, he won both Rookie of the Year and ABA MVP over legendary hooper Julius ‘Dr. J’ Erving, also earning All-Defensive team honors four times over five years.
Artis Gilmore – Making It To The National Basketball Association
Following the ABA’s dismantling, the A-Train made his way to the Windy City to start his legendary NBA career. The Colonels folded so the Bulls took him first overall in the 1976 ABA dispersal draft and the rest, as you know, is history.
Artis Gilmore – One Of The First Great Chicago Bulls
The Bulls were far from a good team back in the day. Even so, Gilmore led them to the playoffs after winning 20 of their last 24 games in his first regular-season in Chicago. The Carver High School product took them once more to the postseason but to no avail.
Artis Gilmore – Leaving For The Spurs
Following the 1982 season and looking for a bigger challenge in his professional career, Gilmore asked to be traded and eventually landed in San Antonio to play for the San Antonio Spurs. There, he teamed up with George Gervin to create one of the deadliest one-two punches in the league, becoming an All-Star twice.
Artis Gilmore – Back To Chicago
With the San Antonio Spurs in the decline, they traded Gilmore back to the Chicago Bulls in 1987. Sadly, and despite being one of the franchise’s greatest players, they cut him after just 24 games and averages of 4.2 points per game.
Artis Gilmore – Boston Celtics And Leaving The League
The Boston Celtics picked up Gilmore’s contract. He was ecstatic about the chance of winning one championship in the NBA before retiring, so he agreed to back up Robert Parish before eventually leaving the league.
Artis Gilmore – Playing Overseas And Retirement
But one year after leaving the NBA, he made a brief comeback to play for Bologna Arimo of the Italian League, even being named to the European All-Star Team.
He walked away from professional basketball with 11 All-Star games played, and career totals of 24,941 points, 16,330 rebounds, and 3,178 blocked shots, an NCAA record, multiple Most Valuable Player awards, and a career average of 18.8 points and 12.3 rebounds per game. No wonder why he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
Artis Gilmore – A Forgotten Legend
While not many people often talk about him, Artis Gilmore was considered to be one of the most dominant players in his era. The quietly dominant center managed to draw comparisons to legends like Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain for his physical traits and defensive prowess.
His low key disposition to put his body on the line made him stand out from ordinary players, and his defensive energy was just contagious for the rest of the team.
Artis Gilmore – Career Accolades And Playing Style
As we previously mentioned, Artis Gilmore played with a never-ending drive and fire on both ends of the glass, especially in the defensive end. Still, some people often criticized him for not making the most of his unmatched physical traits, often stating that he wasn’t intimidating enough and that he should’ve been more physical, tougher, and a bit of a bully.
Instead, fans, the media, and even most of his colleagues referred to him as ‘Basketball’s greatest gentle giant’, so that should tell you just enough his attitude and drive on and off the court. For some, he could’ve still thrived in today’s game due to his impressive physical traits.
He held the NBA career record for the highest field goal percentage at .599 before DeAndre Jordan took him down. More than that, he was an ABA Champion, ABA MVP, ABA Rookie of the Year, ABA All-Rookie first team, one Playoff MVP (ABA), had five All-Star seasons in the ABA (with one ABA All-Star Game MVP), and also earned six NBA All-Star selections.
If that wasn’t enough, he made 5 All-ABA first teams, 4 ABA All-Defensive first teams, one NBA All-Defensive second team, made the ABA All-Time team, and led the ABA in rebounds four times. During his days in college, he was a consensus first-team All-America, a second-team All-American, a two-time NCAA rebounding leader, and made the third-team Parade All-American. He also holds the NCAA Division I record for highest rebounds per game average at 22.7.
Enshrined into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall Of Fame
Judging by all of these accomplishments, one would say that Gilmore was a lock to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer. However, it wasn’t until 2011 – 23 years after his retirement – that he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. He was also inducted into the Jacksonville University and Gardner-Webb Athletics Hall of Fame in 1993 and 1995, respectively.
Artis Gilmore – Net Worth
Artis Gilmore is an NBA star who has an estimated net worth of $5 million. He is a retired professional basketball player who played for teams such as the Chicago Bulls and the San Antonio Spurs. He is considered to be one of the best centers in NBA history and was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2011.
Did Michael Jordan play with Artis Gilmore?
Yes, although briefly and far beyond his prime, Artis Gilmore spent his second tenure with the Chicago Bulls side by side with Michael Jordan. Jordan was drafted by the Bulls with the 3rd overall pick in 1984, two years after the ‘A-Train’ left the team for the first time.
What is Artis Gilmore doing now?
While he’s not much of a public personality right now, the A-Train is known for being closely tied to his Alma Mater still. After taking a position as Special Assistant to the President and serving as their PR ambassador, he also provides radio color commentary for the school’s station WJXL, while also conducting several interviews for its many shows.
How Much Money Did He Make In The NBA?
Even though he was one of the biggest superstars of the game during his prime, Artis Gilmore wasn’t exactly one of the highest earners of NBA history. He signed a 1.1 million deal with the Bulls and earned about $2,132,000 combined during his stints with the Celtics and Spurs.
Even so, most of his career earnings were undisclosed as there aren’t many transaction records from the ABA days, and NBA players weren’t paid nearly half as much as they get nowadays. But hey, you can’t put a price on being a part of the Basketball Hall of Fame.
How tall is Artis Gilmore?
Artis Gilmore is a retired professional basketball player who stands at 7 feet 2 inches (2.18 meters) tall.
