Happy 76th Birthday, Artis Gilmore
- Jake C
- Sep 21
- 6 min read
Cover photo: Artis Gilmore of the Chicago Bulls with the ball in the post against the Milwaukee Bucks. Photo credit: Associated Press.
An ABA and NBA legend celebrates a birthday on September 21 as Hall of Fame center Artis Gilmore turns 76.
A 7 foot, 2 inch center, Gilmore was born in the city of Chipley, Fla., roughly 86 miles northwest of Tallahassee.
Gilmore first attended T.J. Roulhac High School, and for his senior year nearly transferred to Chipley High. But when curriculum issues made Chipley difficult, Gilmore, 6 feet and 9-and-a-half inches tall at the time, enrolled at George Washington Carver High School, an All-Black high school in Dothan, Ala. Gilmore made the All-American 3rd team in his senior season, posting averages of 33 points and 28 rebounds.
For college, Gilmore spent two years at Gardner-Webb University in Boiling Springs, N.C. From 1969-71, he attended and played at Jacksonville University.
In his two seasons at Jacksonville, Gilmore averaged 24.3 points and 22.7 rebounds per game. He led the nation in rebounds in both his junior (22.2) and senior (23.2) seasons. As a senior, he averaged a triple-double of 21.9 points, 23.2 rebounds, and 10.1 blocks and led his school to the National Championship, where the Dolphins lost 80-69 to UCLA. For his senior effort, Gilmore was rewarded as a 1st team All-American. He also made NCAA All-Region and All-Tournament Team as a junior.
Gilmore was drafted 117th overall in the 1971 NBA Draft by the Chicago Bulls, however he signed a major deal with the ABA’s Kentucky Colonels - 10 years and $2.5 million.
For the first eight seasons of his professional career, Gilmore played in every game - 84 games apiece in his five seasons with the Colonels (he was an All-Star in each season) and 82 in his first three seasons with the Bulls.
Gilmore was the ABA’s Rookie of the Year as well as its MVP in 1971-72. He posted 23.8 points, 17.8 rebounds (1st), and 5.0 blocks per game. His 12.7 defensive rebounds per game led the ABA that season. In fact, he led the ABA in offensive, defensive, and rebounds per game in ‘72-‘73, ‘73-‘74, and ‘75-‘76.
Artis Gilmore’s ABA Stats: 1972-73 to 1975-76
1972-73: 20.8 points, 17.6 rebounds (1st; 12.2 defensive rebounds, 5.3 offensive rebounds, 1st), 3.5 assists, 3.1 blocks (1st), 4th in MVP voting, All-Defensive 1st team.
After going 68-16 in ‘71-’72 (the Colonels lost in the Eastern Division Semifinals), the team went 56-28 in ‘72-’73 and made the ABA Finals. There, the team lost in seven games to the Indiana Pacers. Gilmore posted game-highs in points and rebounds in Game 2 (29 points, 26 rebounds) and Game 6 (29 points, 21 rebounds). The Colonels were led in the series by Dan Issel’s 23.6 points and 13.0 rebounds per game. Gilmore averaged 22.1 points, 17.3 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and 4.0 blocks in the series.
1973-74: 18.7 points, 18.3 rebounds (1st; 12.6 defensive rebounds, 5.7 offensive rebounds, 1st), 3.9 assists, 3.4 blocks, 2nd in MVP voting, All-Defensive 1st team.
The ‘73-’74 Colonels went 53-31 and lost in the Eastern Division Finals in four games to the New York Nets. Gilmore in the series posted 15.3 points and 18.8 rebounds per game. Issel averaged 17.8 points in the series, and guard Louie Dampier registered 16.5 points per game.
1974-75: 23.6 points, 16.2 rebounds, 3.1 blocks, All-Defensive 1st team
The ‘74-’75 Colonels went 58-26 in their first season under Hubie Brown. The squad met the Pacers again in the Finals, this time prevailing in five games. Gilmore was named Playoff Most Valuable Player, and in Game 3 posted 41 points and 28 rebounds. In the Finals’ series, he averaged 25.0 points and 21.0 rebounds. Issel posted 21.6 points and 12.0 rebounds per game.
1975-76: 24.6 points, 15.5 rebounds (1st; 10.7 defensive rebounds, 4.8 offensive rebounds, 1st), 2.4 blocks, All-Defensive 1st team
The ‘75-’76 season was the last of the Kentucky Colonels, as the ABA would be absorbed into the NBA following the season. Coached by Brown once again, the Colonels went 46-38. The team lost in the Semifinals to the Denver Nuggets in seven games. Gilmore grabbed a game-high 26 rebounds in Game 6, along with 19 in Game 1 and 16 in Game 3. He averaged 23.4 points and 15.6 rebounds in the series.
In 1976, Gilmore was taken by the Bulls No. 1 overall in the ABA Dispersal Draft. Fellow Hall of Fame center Moses Malone was taken fifth. Ed Badger took over as head coach of the Bulls for Dick Motta for the 1976-77 season, and the Bulls won 44 games. The team lost in the first round two games to one to the Portland Trail Blazers. Gilmore, age 27, played all 82 games in the regular season and in 35.1 minutes per game averaged 18.6 points, 13.0 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks per game. His shot attempts were down from 16.7 per game in his final ABA season to 13.3. Against Bill Walton and the champion Blazers in the playoffs, Gilmore averaged 18.7 points, 13.0 rebounds, and 2.7 blocks.
In 1977-78, 1978-79, 1980-81 and 1981-82, Gilmore was an All-Star for the Bulls.
Artis Gilmore’s All-Star Seasons as a Chicago Bull
1977-78: 22.9 points (55.9% FG, 15.4 FGA), 13.1 rebounds, 2.2 blocks, 37.4 minutes, 82 games, 8th in MVP voting, All-Defensive 2nd team
1978-79: 23.7 points (57.5% FG, 16.0 FGA), 12.7 rebounds, 1.9 blocks, 39.8 minutes, 82 games
1980-81: 17.9 points (67.0% FG, 10.0 FGA), 10.1 rebounds, 2.4 blocks, 34.5 minutes, 82 games
*From 1980-81 to 1983-84, Gilmore led the NBA in field-goal percentage (67.0%, 65.2%, 62.6%, 63.1%)
1981-82: 18.5 points (65.2% FG, 10.2 FGA), 10.2 rebounds, 2.7 blocks, 34.1 minutes, 82 games
On July 22, 1982, the Bulls traded Gilmore to the San Antonio Spurs for Dave Corzine, Mike Olberding, and cash. Gilmore twice was an all-star with the Spurs, in ‘82-’83 (18.0 points, 12.0 rebounds, 2.3 blocks) and ‘85-’86 (16.7 points, 8.5 rebounds, 1.5 blocks). In ‘82-’83, he finished eighth in MVP voting on a 53-win team led by head coach Stan Albeck that made the Western Conference Finals and lost in six games to the Los Angeles Lakers. In that series against Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Gilmore posted 20 rebounds in Game 2, 14 rebounds in Game 3, 14 rebounds in Game 5, and 18 rebounds in Game 6, which were game-highs for each of those games. At age 33, he averaged 19.8 points and 13.5 rebounds in the series.
In ‘83-’84 and ‘84-’85, Gilmore recorded the final double-double seasons of his career - 15.3 points and 10.3 rebounds and a resurgent 19.1 points and 10.4 rebounds in ‘84-’85. In 1985 and 1986, the Spurs lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Denver Nuggets (five games) and the Lakers (three games). Under Cotton Fitzsimmons in those two seasons, the team won 41 and 35 games. By the 1985-86 campaign, superstar guard George Gervin was gone to Chicago. Ironically, Gilmore would return to the Windy City in 1987-88 for twenty-four games before a trade to the Boston Celtics, where he spent the final forty-seven games of his career. Gilmore spent the 1988-89 season playing in Italy for Arimo Bologna.
In 17 pro seasons, Gilmore averaged 18.8 points, 12.3 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks in 1,329 games (804 starts) in 35.5 minutes per game. In his five ABA seasons with the Colonels, he registered 22.3 points, 17.1 rebounds, and 3.4 blocks per game, playing an average of 41.5 minutes per contest over 420 games. He was an 11-time All-Star overall (6x NBA All-Star) and played in all 82 games in seven seasons in addition to playing all 84 games in each of his ABA seasons. At age 35 for the ‘84-’85 NBA season, he played in 81 games. At age 37 in the 1986-87 season, Gilmore started 74 of 82 games. In his final all-star campaign, he averaged 33.7 minutes in 71 games.
Artis Gilmore was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2011. His No. 53 is retired by both Gardner-Webb University and Jacksonville University, and he is in the Chicago Bulls’ Ring of Honor, inducted in 2024. Also in 2024, he was inducted into the NJCAA Hall of Fame. He is also a member of the Florida Sports Hall of Fame (1974). Gilmore was the ABA’s All-Star Game MVP in 1974 and is a member of the ABA’s All-Time team.
Says NBA.com’s Legends Profile of the 7 foot, 2 inch big man:
“Regarded as one of the strongest men ever to play professional basketball, Gilmore was one of the league’s most intimidating centers during the 1970s and ‘80s.”
In 2006, Gilmore’s former Colonels’ coach Brown told Hoopshype:
“He was overpowering. What you have in Artis Gilmore was a great team player, a player that was loved by all of his teammates. He had great humility.”
Happy 76th birthday to one of the best centers in basketball history, Artis Gilmore.
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