I met Artis once when he was playing for the Spurs. We were in a sports pub when I noticed him sitting by himself with a huge beer in front of him. I leaned over and asked, "Artis Gilmore?" He said, "Yes." I thanked him for his historic contributions to the game and left him alone. He didn't seem lonely, just kicking back and enjoying his beer. I didn't want to intrude. Oh, and he was HUGE! Love this guy.
Artis Talked To Me Like A Father Talking To His Son. Playing Basketball With Artis Gilmore Was A Huge Abundant Blessing. God Bless The Gilmore Family 🙏
Gilmore definitely doesn’t get the mention he deserves, especially when the conversation goes to strongest players in NBA history, Artist Gilmore and Wes Unseld were definitely two of the strongest and intimidating players to ever play the game
@@dondajulah4168 MAURICE LUCAS was a tough tough player.. his not just an EMFORCER.. but a damn real TOUGH and PHISICAL PLAYER even BILL LAIMBEER. RICK MAHORN and other BIGMEN don't want to mess with him..
@@williegordon9188 Probably I believe ARTIS was way STRONGER than MAURICE...in terms of STRENGHT I FEEL both Wilt and ARTIS are equal. WILT was just ahead of ARTIS in terms of talent and quickness
It still pains me that Jacksonville lost to UCLA in the championship game. Artis Gilmore was an amazing player to watch and made fantastic contributions to the great history of both college and professional basketball.
@@CarlosSanchez-bg4wf There were several "impressive" afros among ABA players. I'm not saying Artis or the Doctor had BAD ones - just not AS impressive as Hillman at HIS peak. As I recall, they ALL had to tone their afros down some after they all ended up in the NBA.
@@ibe310 Artis *is* in the "great centers" conversation, commonly counted among the Top 10 all time for those that remember he existed. But his NBA career suffered compared to his time in the ABA as one of the 2 best centers there (Mel Daniels was arguably at LEAST as good, but has pretty much zero NBA time and THAT was at the end of his career).
@@ibe310 No, I was not. I WAS in fact replying to your comment. I won't say I've NEVER misreplied, but this was NOT one of those cases, as I'd ALREADY replied to Mark's comment.
I met Mr. Gilmore in Downtown Jacksonville, Florida in June 2012 . He was working for the former Mayor Alvin Brown. I got his autograph also. He's a really nice guy. God bless him! 🙏🏼😊🇺🇸❤️
I remember watching him Play for the Chicago bulls as a kid he was a very impressive player and with the Spurs He is to me the best Center that ever played for the Bulls. great content #Dantana773
@@hoopshistoire ARTIS was a great player. A great center and a dominating presence. And his one of the strongest centers back then next to WILT in terms of STRENGHT..ARTIS was a less ego version of SHAQ.. and in my opinion ARTIS was even more stronger than the DIESEL
This reminds me of the great Kentucky Colonels teams with Dan Issel, Louie Dampier and Artis Gilmore. As a Native New Yorker, I followed the New York Nets with the Dr. J, Billy Paultz and Larry Kenon. Boy, I feel old now!!
I was too young for the ABA, but those Nets teams had great contributors(guards)too in Mike Gale, Super John Williamson, Bill Melchionni, Brian Taylor, and Al Skinner.
You ARE old. And so am I. I LOVED the ABA as a kid and a teenager. You couldn't get much info on it, though. No one was writing about it and no one was broadcasting it. For a fantastic capture of the ABA, I highly recommend the book "Loose Balls" by Terry Pluto. Awesome stuff.
It was a crime against basketball when that Kentucky Colonels team was broken up during the ABA/NBA merger. I once heard Hubie Brown, who was the team's last coach and coached them to an ABA title in 1975, bitterly complain it was due to the greed of the Colonels' owner John Y. Brown. However, the team's wikipedia page says the Chicago Bulls blocked them from joining the NBA. The Bulls held the NBA rights to Gilmore and they knew if the Colonels were prevented from joining, the team would have to fold and they would get Gilmore- which they did. Fun fact- AG's Wikipedia page says he married his college sweetheart, Enola Gay. If that's accurate, it's highly appropriate because he dropped some A-bomb dunks on his opponents.
I was a casual acquaintance of Artis' brother Frank, and friends with their youngest brother Oren...Extremely friendly, pleasant, and fun guys! I would imaging that Artis was much the same.
Would have loved to see Artis and Bob Lanier go at it at the 1970 Final Four. Alas, it was not to be. RIP Bob Lanier. Not to undermine Artis..Loved the A-Train
Is this my favorite RUclips biographer, Rich the Fight Historian? I love your work. Since I live in Louisville, Jimmy Ellis, Greg Page and Artis Gilmore were staples of my sorting life. Great channel. Thank you.
As a 16 year old it’s sad how overlooked these legends get, I been knew about him but barley any of these Curry fans know about someone like Artis or Bernard King or Adrain Dantely
Artis Gilmore. Look what he did to prime Kareem the best or second best center in NBA history. He blocked Kareem’s skyhook and dunked on him multiple times. The only other player I have seen blocking a prime Kareem skyhook was Wilt Chamberlain. Yet, Gilmore was so humble and poised. Like Wilt, he could overpower and hurt most players but he chose not to. A true gentleman. He has good fashion sense as well.
Train had the misfortune of being a Bull in the pre-Reinsdorf years, when ownership didn’t even make an effort in hiding how cheap they were. They basically traded him for a collection of stale groceries (JUST to trim payroll). When he returned for the start of the ‘87-‘88 season to be paired up with Jordan (and rookie year Pippen & Grant, as well), you could tell he just didn’t have it anymore. Auerbach brought him to Boston hoping he could be, as Chief’s backup, basically the same thing Bill Walton had been two years prior. But like I said, he was done by that point. His knees were shot and everything.
The Bulls had some great players through those years but coukd never sustain anything. Jerry Sloan Norm Van Lier Chet Walker Bobby Love and then the cocaine/Rush street guys like Orlando Woolridge and Reggie Theus Q Daley and even an older Iceman Gervin. I didn't like Jerry Krause but the one risk he took that payed off was clearing the roster of all those guys and building the new team around Michael Jordan whom Krause inherited from the prior gm Rod Thorn. I don't know how good prime Gilmore would've been with a premiere franchise or if he came along in today's game but I think it's safe to say he'd be better in both cases.
@@andymullarx6365 That was the thing. He initially arrived in the aftermath of the early ‘70s nucleus’s dismantling (Norm was the only member of that era’s teams still around by that point; even Motta had resigned by then). If you had inserted him onto the ‘74-‘75 roster instead of a career twilight version of Nate Thurmond (who was a bad fit for it in the first place), who knows how differently things would’ve turned out (keep in mind that was the same season Artis won the ABA Title with the Colonels).
@@dondajulah4168 Yeah , we had centers all the way up too last 15 years or so...well , a X-sition anyways. I MISS seeing the big guys tho , i gotta say ! !
He was very good. It's surprising to see how athletic he was when he played in the ABA. Almost looked like a different player. If he had played with the Spurs his entire career he would have been remembered as a greater player and been more well-known.
@@milart12 Waaayyy more explosive. Seemed to play with more intensity and spark as well. He was still a very good player in the NBA. However he went from this explosive athletic player who brought a lot of energy to his team to be more of a lumbering player. Was still very good but he also wasn’t as expressive on the court as he was in the ABA.
I never heard of this man until now. But I'm impressed. 👍🏿His name doesn't deserve to be drug through the mud. He was very talented. He was unfortunately picked up by some garbage teams at the time.
@@wobbafett2464 I said the brother don't deserve to have his name drug through the mud. What the Hell are YOU talking about? Yo I swear, you guys come on here saying any damn thing. 😒
It was a pleasure to watch Gilmore play for the Kentucky Colonels against my beloved Spurs! And then to have him join the Spurs later. It was a pleasure watching one of the greats of basketball!😀😎
I wished I got to see him in the ABA, but I did get to see him play for the Bulls and later with the Spurs. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar said he was the strongest player that he ever played against. He was able to body up with Kareem and push him off his spot at times, which threw off his shot a little bit.
He was an incredible talent, I sometimes wonder if he had not have gotten hurt 4th game of the season while with the bulls 79-80 season how far would they have gone. To many players are measured by what their team does instead of the individual career accomplishments. Their are way more great players who did not win a championship than those who did, because of this they are forgotten what a shame. As if they did it all by themselves.
The Big A!!! He played on the Kentucky Colonels along with my brother back in the 70s. My brother said he was not only a great player but a quality individual on and off the court.
I was a big fan of his. He was very underrated and should have been in the Hall of Fame many years earlier. The Bulls teams in the early 80's were bad but it wasn't because of him. He was one of the few bright spots. And they had a nice little run in the 1980-1981 playoffs when they beat the Knicks and then lost to the Celtics. I was glad to see him rejuvenate his career with the Spurs and they gave the Lakers a strong match-up losing 4-2 in the western finals. Artis wasn't as good as Kareem but he would always play well against him. That is the first time I saw pics of his fight with Maurice Lucas. The video mentions he had three dustups in the league but didn't mention the other two.
He had one with the Virginia Squires' Roger Brown in the 1973-74 season, and one with a Denver Rockets (later Denver Nuggets) player that same season. I think he had a couple of others in the ABA as well. Early in his NBA career, he had a couple with the Milwaukee Bucks during the 1976 preseason, and one with Boston's Jim Ard in the 1976-77 season.
Kareem and Gilmore felt similarly about people asking dumb questions. Kareem told a reporter in 1968 that people come up to him and ask how’s the weather up there? The reporter smiled and said oh that doesn’t really bother you does it? Kareem responded YES IT DOES!!!
I Was Blessed To Meet Artist Gilmore The Summer Of 1978. He Was At Ashland Park In Chicago Heights Illinois. I Picked Artist Gilmore And We Ran The Court For 8 Games. Artist Gave Me:" DON'T LET ANYBODY INTIMIDATE YOU IN LIFE YOU BE THE INTIMIDATING PERSON"!!!! Man I Tell You After That Day. My Life Changes. As Being A Man & Not Getting Intimidated By Any One!!!! Go Bless Artist Gilmore And His Family 🙏🙏🙏
Artis Gill was ILL. He had that sweet, one-handed, sweeping double clutch shot across the lane. It was superfluous but damned if that shit didn't look good. He had the body of Oshun. His touch and hand softness were bar none. He had a fantastic acumen at 12ft. He's probably the only player from that era that I'd rely on against The Big Dipper. Most of all, he had a huge afro and phat sideburns.
Do you think he was equal to kareem.cause it seemed like he was quicker in the ABA and I didn't know that he had knee surgery at the end of the 79 season.they said that he was the second strongest player behind Wilt.and Robert parish said that Gilmore was stronger than Shaq he played against both.and Dominique Wilkins thought that Gilmore was the strongest player ever.i think Wilt coached him one year in the ABA
This is amazing... I really got into basketball at the age of 9 and the team that pulled me in was the 1985 Memphis Tigers. I remember how my city would literally such down whenever the tigers played that season. Later that same year I fondly remember being glued to the TV to watch the NBA Finals Series between Lakers and Celtics... It seems as though you are creating these amazing documentaries on the generation of players right before I became a fan... I have a NBA All Star poster from 85/86 and one of the players featured on the poster is Jeff Ruland. I remember looking at his picture thinking he must've got injured after that season because I never saw him play after 85/86 season. And here we come to this day - after 40 plus years Im about to watch a documentary on Jeff Ruland. I appreciate your hard work putting these docs together. Gonna become a member to your channel and hit the thumbs up to hopefully further your small films...
I loved the A-Train, my second favorite Bulls player after MJ. My favorite Bull players, 1-7 1.. Michael Jordan 2.. Artis Gilmore 3.. Norm Van Lier 4... Jerry Sloan. 5...Dennis Rodman 6. David Greenwood 7. Dave Corzine
10:16 The ABA merged into the NBA, after the settlement of the "Oscar Robinson" anti-trust and class action lawsuit, not "folded". 4 teams were selected to merge - the Colonels were one of the 2 that didn't make the cut. Gilmore was the FIRST PICK in the resulting "dispersal draft" - the Bulls did NOT get him due to the 1971 draft, their rights had EXPIRED in part due to the Oscar Robinson lawsuit settlement terms that ended the "reserve clause" in the NBA.
I read the book Loose Balls talking about the ABA and some of the other reasons(there were several)the Colonels were left out. One of the reasons was because John Y(Colonels owner) was trying to recoup financial losses from running the franchise. He was trying to sell the team but couldn't find enough investors or capital(in the Louisville area) to buy the team plus the Bulls owner at the time(cant think of his 1st name, but his last name was Wirtz)was willing to do ANYTHING to get Gilmore. He was going to oppose ANY attempted merger deal from the Colonels to get in the NBA. The Pacers were the last team to get accepted into the NBA over the Colonels because the NBA claimed that the Pacers had a bigger market. It's a coincidence that the Bulls had the 1st pick in the ABA-NBA dispersal draft.
@@elwin38 There were other factors, but the primary one was that Indianapolis was a MUCH larger market than Louisville (still is today), while being close enough to draw a LITTLE support from Louisville and Cincinnati. The Pacers were shaky financially at the time (this was long before the Simons of "major malls" fame bought them out), but they were a LOT better off than the Colonels.
Don't know why I had a feeling this would be Rich the Fight Historian before clicking but it turned out to be true! Glad to see you cover my 2 favorite sports, champ.
Great player ,I discovered basketball thanks to the one and only Dream Team and now I'm watching as much vintage NBA as I can.Basketball is awesome and talented players are everywhere
I’ve seen a couple of those theoretical “all-time Bulls” lineups that had Joakim Noah at Center, and I’m like “uh, try looking up pre-Jordan era Bulls rosters. Train was a MFka.”
@@williegordon9188 I'd class Bill as good, not great. NOT in the Hall - Artis is IN the Hall, and Pau will be a first vote pick when he's been out of the league long enough to qualify (next year i think?). @Trevor Hembrough Noah might be in the running with Cartwright - at best - but I doubt he gets nominated for the Hall. Would be on the same ballot as Pau - but was not even CLOSE to being the same force in the middle.
I watched the big A play at Jacksonville University...took his team of role players to championship game vs UCLA and John Wooden in his prime...and then a player known as Lew out of Power Memorial H.S. in N.Y. The Big A would have opened league in 80's.
I had Bulls Season Tickets. back then they used to have an autograph session for season Ticket holders. On a bulls cap I got Gilmore, rookieScottie Pippen, Paxton Horace Grant and Bennie the bull.
Loving this one thanks for sharing very information blessed love to all knowledge is power hopefully everyone pays attention keep up the good work 🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿🇯🇲🇯🇲🇯🇲
Strongest player ever in pro basketball: Wilt Chamberlain. 2nd Strongest: Artis Gilmore. 3rd: Everyone else is tied for third, because it doesn't matter after Artis. Notice that Artis shot what was the nearest thing ever to Kareem's Sky Hook. Gilmore had a .582 field goal average. He led the league in that stat SIX times. Love that guy.
Artis was recruited by George Raveling ( Asst coach at Villanova ) George got Howard Porter to come to Nova and almost got Artis Gilmore. Word has it the Priest wouldn't let both players in at the same time. Howard and Artis played in the Narberth summer league together ( 5 miles down the road from Villanova's campus).Boy that would have been some lineup.
A TESTAMENT to Artis's strength in the paint is his NBA record .599% field goal percentage over 18 seasons. He is the most underrated center in NBA history. And his left handed hook shot was hard to stop. Also, when he got the drop on you for a dunk, it was automatic 2 points.
One of my favourite players.A pleasure to watch.Mel & him in my top ten centers.First five years,Gimore22.3pt/17.1reb/3.4blk/.557fg%.Daniel's first five,21.0pt/16.8reb/?/.472fg%
I’m proud to see we have a Hall Of Fame player from our little Washington County. I’m from Vernon but my grandad said he hated playing against Artis growing up 😂
I would count the ABA rings as much as the NBA during that era. Obviously the NBA wasn't nearly as strong a league before the merger so if someone discounts the ABA ring, the same could be said for the NBA rings. The ABA stars all went on to have good runs in the NBA after the merger.
@@yippee-ki-yay9925 Correct. 1975 Colonels easily beat 75 Warriors. Issel and Barry cancel each other. Issel was a monster. I have him over several top NBA 75. Gilmore then controls the runway to the hoop. Colonels 4 GSW 2.
@@Wixom2200 I agree. It is a shame that the NBA doesn't officially recognize the ABA stats. The ABA was smaller but it was clearly a major pro league and was absorbed into the NBA. I suppose there may still be some lingering competitive feelings but it was almost 50 years ago. Drives me nuts when NBA doesn't count the records of Artis, Malone, Issel, Dr J etc when they talk about lifetime stats.
Man I remeber going to a Carolina Cougars game as a kid and during halftime I walked along the out of bounds area and Artis pattimng me on the head. He seemed to be a very nice man.
@@victorgardner7584 Artis Gilmore and Wilt Chamberlain blocked Jabbar's vaunted sky hook. In that NCAA finals against UCLA, John Wooden was just a better coach. The Dolphins didn't have that third player, just Rex Morgan and Artis Gilmore. UCLA had a championship pedigree, why the Dolphin's were the one hit wonders.
..No idea why Mr. A. isn't appreciated, this day. You did not want to see him on the court that night.. Best center, ever! ..Just never played on "dynasty-teams.." TRUTH!
on 2,oo8 I worked at a local Labor Finders I'm Jax FLA with one of his older brothers - his name was Archie Gilmore & he lived basically on the streets & frank alot - but I remember him always talking about Artis & his game & money - quite an experience - I hope Archie is alive doing well - he told me his feet was to small to play basketball even though he was 6''6 LoL
Artis Gilmore...Wilbur Holland...Reggie Theus....Chicago Stadium.....Benny the Bull.....the LuvaBulls. The Bulls , PRE-Jordan lol. It was a trainwreck but it was a lot of fun.
I met Artis once when he was playing for the Spurs. We were in a sports pub when I noticed him sitting by himself with a huge beer in front of him. I leaned over and asked, "Artis Gilmore?" He said, "Yes." I thanked him for his historic contributions to the game and left him alone. He didn't seem lonely, just kicking back and enjoying his beer. I didn't want to intrude. Oh, and he was HUGE! Love this guy.
cool story
Artis Talked To Me Like A Father Talking To His Son. Playing Basketball With Artis Gilmore Was A Huge Abundant Blessing. God Bless The Gilmore Family 🙏
A similar incident occurred to me in Los Angeles. He is a very soft-spoken and pleasant person.
@@choward5430 yes me too I was a in a bar in buffalo and saw him there but I never got a chance to speak to him
Very lucky
The best Chicago Bulls center ever. He was still in his prime
I remember Artis Gilmore... was a excellent player in the ABA... but never knew his story.... one of the best centers to play the game.....
Gilmore definitely doesn’t get the mention he deserves, especially when the conversation goes to strongest players in NBA history, Artist Gilmore and Wes Unseld were definitely two of the strongest and intimidating players to ever play the game
This is a very home felt and humble story of Artis!!
Big and strong as Gilmore was he should have destroyed Maurice Lucas.
@@williegordon9188 not sure how you figure that. Mo was known as an enforcer. Not too many guys of any size wanted a tussle with him.
@@dondajulah4168
MAURICE LUCAS was a tough tough player.. his not just an EMFORCER.. but a damn real TOUGH and PHISICAL PLAYER
even BILL LAIMBEER. RICK MAHORN and other BIGMEN don't want to mess with him..
@@williegordon9188
Probably
I believe ARTIS was way STRONGER than MAURICE...in terms of STRENGHT I FEEL both Wilt and ARTIS are equal. WILT was just ahead of ARTIS in terms of talent and quickness
It still pains me that Jacksonville lost to UCLA in the championship game. Artis Gilmore was an amazing player to watch and made fantastic contributions to the great history of both college and professional basketball.
He was a idol for me growing up. Calm cool n collective. One of the great big men of all time.
That's a great video about Artist Gilmore he was a class act and steady as they come.
Mr.Gilmore was one of the 15 greatest centers to ever play in NBA.
Mr.Gregory Williams,he was in me and my Lil brother opinion, he's amongst the top ten centers of all time
Wilt Chamberlain #1
I go back and forth with Wilt and Kareem.. I’m stuck on Kareem right now..
BTW, they’re the 2 best players ever too..
@@jacobjones5269 Bill Russell.
Suprised he isn't a top 75 player.
Artis Gilmore hands down had the best Afro in sports
That was another ABA alumni - Darnell Hillman.
@@bricefleckenstein9666 That would be Dr J…another ABA alum.
@@clu4u Nope.
Even "The Doctor" has said that Darnell had a more impressive afro.
The doctor was nice with his fro too. That's when I grew mine n Jackson 5 fros
@@CarlosSanchez-bg4wf There were several "impressive" afros among ABA players.
I'm not saying Artis or the Doctor had BAD ones - just not AS impressive as Hillman at HIS peak.
As I recall, they ALL had to tone their afros down some after they all ended up in the NBA.
One of my ALL-TIME favorite players!!
One of the most underrated centers ever. He would be in my all time top ten.
And somehow, he's overlooked when the great centers are discussed. Bizarre, to say the least.
Too many of his best years were in the ABA.
MAKES ONE WONDER WHAT THE OTHER SO-CALLED GREATS HAD TO DO TO BE CALLED GREATS.
@@ibe310 Artis *is* in the "great centers" conversation, commonly counted among the Top 10 all time for those that remember he existed.
But his NBA career suffered compared to his time in the ABA as one of the 2 best centers there (Mel Daniels was arguably at LEAST as good, but has pretty much zero NBA time and THAT was at the end of his career).
@@bricefleckenstein9666 YOU ARE REPLYING TO THE WRONG COMMENT.
@@ibe310 No, I was not.
I WAS in fact replying to your comment.
I won't say I've NEVER misreplied, but this was NOT one of those cases, as I'd ALREADY replied to Mark's comment.
I met Mr. Gilmore in Downtown Jacksonville, Florida in June 2012 . He was working for the former Mayor Alvin Brown. I got his autograph also. He's a really nice guy. God bless him! 🙏🏼😊🇺🇸❤️
I remember watching him Play for the Chicago bulls as a kid he was a very impressive player and with the Spurs He is to me the best Center that ever played for the Bulls. great content #Dantana773
Thanks, DANTANA 773
@@hoopshistoire
ARTIS was a great player. A great center and a dominating presence. And his one of the strongest centers back then next to WILT in terms of STRENGHT..ARTIS was a less ego version of SHAQ.. and in my opinion ARTIS was even more stronger than the DIESEL
This reminds me of the great Kentucky Colonels teams with Dan Issel, Louie Dampier and Artis Gilmore. As a Native New Yorker, I followed the New York Nets with the Dr. J, Billy Paultz and Larry Kenon. Boy, I feel old now!!
I was too young for the ABA, but those Nets teams had great contributors(guards)too in Mike Gale, Super John Williamson, Bill Melchionni, Brian Taylor, and Al Skinner.
@@elwin38 Oh yes!! You are so correct!!! I still remember when Dr. J came to play at Rucker Park.
You ARE old. And so am I. I LOVED the ABA as a kid and a teenager. You couldn't get much info on it, though. No one was writing about it and no one was broadcasting it. For a fantastic capture of the ABA, I highly recommend the book "Loose Balls" by Terry Pluto. Awesome stuff.
@@richdouglas2311 I will do that. Thanks!!
It was a crime against basketball when that Kentucky Colonels team was broken up during the ABA/NBA merger. I once heard Hubie Brown, who was the team's last coach and coached them to an ABA title in 1975, bitterly complain it was due to the greed of the Colonels' owner John Y. Brown. However, the team's wikipedia page says the Chicago Bulls blocked them from joining the NBA. The Bulls held the NBA rights to Gilmore and they knew if the Colonels were prevented from joining, the team would have to fold and they would get Gilmore- which they did. Fun fact- AG's Wikipedia page says he married his college sweetheart, Enola Gay. If that's accurate, it's highly appropriate because he dropped some A-bomb dunks on his opponents.
I was a casual acquaintance of Artis' brother Frank, and friends with their youngest brother Oren...Extremely friendly, pleasant, and fun guys! I would imaging that Artis was much the same.
I Was Fortunate To Meet Oren At The Basketball Court. He Didn't Play With Us.
Would have loved to see Artis and Bob Lanier go at it at the 1970 Final Four. Alas, it was not to be. RIP Bob Lanier. Not to undermine Artis..Loved the A-Train
I was at a 1981 Knicks v Bulls playoff game at MSG.....Definitely remember Artis....dude did his thing
Is this my favorite RUclips biographer, Rich the Fight Historian? I love your work. Since I live in Louisville, Jimmy Ellis, Greg Page and Artis Gilmore were staples of my sorting life. Great channel. Thank you.
Haha, yes, Scott, you found me. My second channel.
1 of the All Time Great Centers🏆🏀🏆
As a 16 year old it’s sad how overlooked these legends get, I been knew about him but barley any of these Curry fans know about someone like Artis or Bernard King or Adrain Dantely
A. D. Ex pistons still mad about that trade
Good morning....not born...they have no clue......peace
Artis Gilmore. Look what he did to prime Kareem the best or second best center in NBA history. He blocked Kareem’s skyhook and dunked on him multiple times. The only other player I have seen blocking a prime Kareem skyhook was Wilt Chamberlain.
Yet, Gilmore was so humble and poised. Like Wilt, he could overpower and hurt most players but he chose not to. A true gentleman. He has good fashion sense as well.
Yep I'm 42, been watching ball for awhile now, found out about A-Train about 3-4 years ago. He is one of my favorite somehow.
Loved that era....miss it.
Artis was a very good player in definitely a gentleman 🏀
He was also one of the 8 people in NBA history to average over 40mpg for his career!
The No dunk rule saved wicks & ucla!
The No dunk rule saved wicks & ucla!
Train had the misfortune of being a Bull in the pre-Reinsdorf years, when ownership didn’t even make an effort in hiding how cheap they were. They basically traded him for a collection of stale groceries (JUST to trim payroll). When he returned for the start of the ‘87-‘88 season to be paired up with Jordan (and rookie year Pippen & Grant, as well), you could tell he just didn’t have it anymore. Auerbach brought him to Boston hoping he could be, as Chief’s backup, basically the same thing Bill Walton had been two years prior. But like I said, he was done by that point. His knees were shot and everything.
The Bulls had some great players through those years but coukd never sustain anything. Jerry Sloan Norm Van Lier Chet Walker Bobby Love and then the cocaine/Rush street guys like Orlando Woolridge and Reggie Theus Q Daley and even an older Iceman Gervin. I didn't like Jerry Krause but the one risk he took that payed off was clearing the roster of all those guys and building the new team around Michael Jordan whom Krause inherited from the prior gm Rod Thorn. I don't know how good prime Gilmore would've been with a premiere franchise or if he came along in today's game but I think it's safe to say he'd be better in both cases.
@@andymullarx6365 That was the thing. He initially arrived in the aftermath of the early ‘70s nucleus’s dismantling (Norm was the only member of that era’s teams still around by that point; even Motta had resigned by then). If you had inserted him onto the ‘74-‘75 roster instead of a career twilight version of Nate Thurmond (who was a bad fit for it in the first place), who knows how differently things would’ve turned out (keep in mind that was the same season Artis won the ABA Title with the Colonels).
How many of you knew that he has(had) a brother (Earl) just as tall and gifted? Also a brother Thomas (6'.5") who was a very talented player as well?
Artis, Bob Lanier, Moses Malone constituted the great big man era.
I think you might be missing a few guys from your list. The 1980's wasnt too bad for big men either.
Abdul-Jabbar, Walton, Dawkins, Unseld, Sikma...bigs r like dinosaurs in tha league now.
🤷🏿♂️could say Bill and wilt played in the greatest center era ever, Walt Bellamy, Willis reed, Nate Thurmond, zelmo Beaty
@@dondajulah4168 Yeah , we had centers all the way up too last 15 years or so...well , a X-sition anyways. I MISS seeing the big guys tho , i gotta say ! !
@@elvispresley5921 we still have them, they're just 3 point shooters now 🤣🤣🤣
He was very good. It's surprising to see how athletic he was when he played in the ABA. Almost looked like a different player. If he had played with the Spurs his entire career he would have been remembered as a greater player and been more well-known.
Totally agree. He seemed more lumbering when he got to the NBA. I suppose it was just age but he looks far more explosive in his ABA days.
@@milart12 Waaayyy more explosive. Seemed to play with more intensity and spark as well. He was still a very good player in the NBA. However he went from this explosive athletic player who brought a lot of energy to his team to be more of a lumbering player. Was still very good but he also wasn’t as expressive on the court as he was in the ABA.
I never heard of this man until now. But I'm impressed. 👍🏿His name doesn't deserve to be drug through the mud. He was very talented. He was unfortunately picked up by some garbage teams at the time.
We in Chicago know who and what type of MAN he was and probably still is. A gentle giant.
D R U G
@@wobbafett2464 What?!
@@nineether7257 read your comment
@@wobbafett2464 I said the brother don't deserve to have his name drug through the mud. What the Hell are YOU talking about? Yo I swear, you guys come on here saying any damn thing. 😒
Like Kareem with a left-handed sky hook. Artis ate everything and everyone who came into the lane.
It was a pleasure to watch Gilmore play for the Kentucky Colonels against my beloved Spurs! And then to have him join the Spurs later. It was a pleasure watching one of the greats of basketball!😀😎
I wished I got to see him in the ABA, but I did get to see him play for the Bulls and later with the Spurs. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar said he was the strongest player that he ever played against. He was able to body up with Kareem and push him off his spot at times, which threw off his shot a little bit.
I Ve always looked up to Artist Gilmore and he was a great player. Being that size and playing his best.
As a kid in Chicagoland AG was my favorite!
He was an incredible talent, I sometimes wonder if he had not have gotten hurt 4th game of the season while with the bulls 79-80 season how far would they have gone. To many players are measured by what their team does instead of the individual career accomplishments. Their are way more great players who did not win a championship than those who did, because of this they are forgotten what a shame. As if they did it all by themselves.
But he did win an ABA championship with Dan Issle.
The Big A!!! He played on the Kentucky Colonels along with my brother back in the 70s. My brother said he was not only a great player but a quality individual on and off the court.
I was a big fan of his. He was very underrated and should have been in the Hall of Fame many years earlier. The Bulls teams in the early 80's were bad but it wasn't because of him. He was one of the few bright spots. And they had a nice little run in the 1980-1981 playoffs when they beat the Knicks and then lost to the Celtics. I was glad to see him rejuvenate his career with the Spurs and they gave the Lakers a strong match-up losing 4-2 in the western finals. Artis wasn't as good as Kareem but he would always play well against him. That is the first time I saw pics of his fight with Maurice Lucas. The video mentions he had three dustups in the league but didn't mention the other two.
Should've been first ballot.
He had one with the Virginia Squires' Roger Brown in the 1973-74 season, and one with a Denver Rockets (later Denver Nuggets) player that same season. I think he had a couple of others in the ABA as well.
Early in his NBA career, he had a couple with the Milwaukee Bucks during the 1976 preseason, and one with Boston's Jim Ard in the 1976-77 season.
@@3243_ Wow, I didn't know about them. Were they just verbal or shoving or did they involve fisticuffs?
Kareem and Gilmore felt similarly about people asking dumb questions. Kareem told a reporter in 1968 that people come up to him and ask how’s the weather up there? The reporter smiled and said oh that doesn’t really bother you does it? Kareem responded YES IT DOES!!!
My all time fav player, easily! Discovered him at Jacksonville, loved him with Kentucky
I Was Blessed To Meet Artist Gilmore The Summer Of 1978. He Was At Ashland Park In Chicago Heights Illinois. I Picked Artist Gilmore And We Ran The Court For 8 Games. Artist Gave Me:" DON'T LET ANYBODY INTIMIDATE YOU IN LIFE YOU BE THE INTIMIDATING PERSON"!!!!
Man I Tell You After That Day. My Life Changes. As Being A Man & Not Getting Intimidated By Any One!!!! Go Bless Artist Gilmore And His Family 🙏🙏🙏
The A- Train was the real deal.
Maurice Lucas was a powerful enforcer. He could do some serious damage in a fight.
Artis Gill was ILL. He had that sweet, one-handed, sweeping double clutch shot across the lane. It was superfluous but damned if that shit didn't look good. He had the body of Oshun. His touch and hand softness were bar none. He had a fantastic acumen at 12ft. He's probably the only player from that era that I'd rely on against The Big Dipper. Most of all, he had a huge afro and phat sideburns.
Do you think he was equal to kareem.cause it seemed like he was quicker in the ABA and I didn't know that he had knee surgery at the end of the 79 season.they said that he was the second strongest player behind Wilt.and Robert parish said that Gilmore was stronger than Shaq he played against both.and Dominique Wilkins thought that Gilmore was the strongest player ever.i think Wilt coached him one year in the ABA
Wilt didn't coach him...Wilt was the coach of the San Diego Q's..Artis played 4 the Kentucky Colonels..peace
My 2 cents..Artis was not as good as Kareem ..a great player..o ne of the greatest of the greats ....peace
I met Artist at a basketball tournament in Orlando in the mid 80’s . He’s a heck of a nice man.
So glad you did this. In a league that is now preferential to offense, these stories of defensive legends are important.
As a Colonels fan in the 70s, I loved the A train
One of the greatest players to never play in the NBA finals.
i really enjoyed learning more about Artis! i remember him playing for the Celtics at the end of his career!
Thanks for honoring the most unsung of all the Chicago Bulls players. .
I seen all big great centers artis in the top 10
This is amazing... I really got into basketball at the age of 9 and the team that pulled me in was the 1985 Memphis Tigers. I remember how my city would literally such down whenever the tigers played that season. Later that same year I fondly remember being glued to the TV to watch the NBA Finals Series between Lakers and Celtics... It seems as though you are creating these amazing documentaries on the generation of players right before I became a fan... I have a NBA All Star poster from 85/86 and one of the players featured on the poster is Jeff Ruland. I remember looking at his picture thinking he must've got injured after that season because I never saw him play after 85/86 season. And here we come to this day - after 40 plus years Im about to watch a documentary on Jeff Ruland. I appreciate your hard work putting these docs together. Gonna become a member to your channel and hit the thumbs up to hopefully further your small films...
Crazy photo 6:57 his white wrist band overlaps the white rectangle of the goal to look like his hand is behind the glass.
He was a very classy man to talk to, he messaged me back when I thanked him.
Artis Gilmore once said to Larry Bird that "if you continue to play like this diving around your career will not last long"
I remember him from the early 70s. Great player
Can't Stop the A-Train!!!
I loved the A-Train, my second favorite Bulls player after MJ. My favorite Bull players, 1-7
1.. Michael Jordan
2.. Artis Gilmore
3.. Norm Van Lier
4... Jerry Sloan.
5...Dennis Rodman
6. David Greenwood
7. Dave Corzine
10:16
The ABA merged into the NBA, after the settlement of the "Oscar Robinson" anti-trust and class action lawsuit, not "folded".
4 teams were selected to merge - the Colonels were one of the 2 that didn't make the cut.
Gilmore was the FIRST PICK in the resulting "dispersal draft" - the Bulls did NOT get him due to the 1971 draft, their rights had EXPIRED in part due to the Oscar Robinson lawsuit settlement terms that ended the "reserve clause" in the NBA.
I read the book Loose Balls talking about the ABA and some of the other reasons(there were several)the Colonels were left out. One of the reasons was because John Y(Colonels owner) was trying to recoup financial losses from running the franchise. He was trying to sell the team but couldn't find enough investors or capital(in the Louisville area) to buy the team plus the Bulls owner at the time(cant think of his 1st name, but his last name was Wirtz)was willing to do ANYTHING to get Gilmore. He was going to oppose ANY attempted merger deal from the Colonels to get in the NBA. The Pacers were the last team to get accepted into the NBA over the Colonels because the NBA claimed that the Pacers had a bigger market. It's a coincidence that the Bulls had the 1st pick in the ABA-NBA dispersal draft.
@@elwin38 There were other factors, but the primary one was that Indianapolis was a MUCH larger market than Louisville (still is today), while being close enough to draw a LITTLE support from Louisville and Cincinnati.
The Pacers were shaky financially at the time (this was long before the Simons of "major malls" fame bought them out), but they were a LOT better off than the Colonels.
@@elwin38 the nba has always been rigged,
Yo my man you’re doing the world a great service by providing these hoop history stories. Please continue your work! 🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾
Don't know why I had a feeling this would be Rich the Fight Historian before clicking but it turned out to be true! Glad to see you cover my 2 favorite sports, champ.
Hey thanks, Charles. Yeah, basketball is my second favorite sport.
Bro why is your channel not huge love your work bro keep grinding your stuff is great
Thanks, Ju Bean, will do.
I purchased a throwback jersey of Gilmore from his college of Jacksonville
Great player ,I discovered basketball thanks to the one and only Dream Team and now I'm watching as much vintage NBA as I can.Basketball is awesome and talented players are everywhere
Definitely the GOAT Chicago Bulls center
Uh, who else have the Bulls ever had as a great center (other than 2 years of early Pau)?
Bill Cartwright.
@@bricefleckenstein9666 What about Bill Cartwright?
I’ve seen a couple of those theoretical “all-time Bulls” lineups that had Joakim Noah at Center, and I’m like “uh, try looking up pre-Jordan era Bulls rosters. Train was a MFka.”
@@williegordon9188
I'd class Bill as good, not great.
NOT in the Hall - Artis is IN the Hall, and Pau will be a first vote pick when he's been out of the league long enough to qualify (next year i think?).
@Trevor Hembrough
Noah might be in the running with Cartwright - at best - but I doubt he gets nominated for the Hall.
Would be on the same ballot as Pau - but was not even CLOSE to being the same force in the middle.
Great Video
Thanks!
Much Gratitude
Great ,Great documentary sir..🤌🏾
I remember meeting Artis at my job. As he shook my hand he squeezed it but I took it like a man. A great player n a great person
Saw him play for jacksonville University in 70-71 great memories
I saw the Doctor dunk over Gilmore back in ABA days. A real facial that I'm sure he remembers to this day.
I watched the big A play at Jacksonville University...took his team of role players to championship game vs UCLA and John Wooden in his prime...and then a player known as Lew out of Power Memorial H.S. in N.Y. The Big A would have opened league in 80's.
Artis had the skyhook before it was invented.
I loved artis he was a gentleman and a great player never got the credit he deserves
really well put documentary
I had Bulls Season Tickets. back then they used to have an autograph session for season Ticket holders. On a bulls cap I got Gilmore, rookieScottie Pippen, Paxton Horace Grant and Bennie the bull.
Very humble man..... Gilmore, issell and Louie Dampier were a perfect combination in Kentucky
Loving this one thanks for sharing very information blessed love to all knowledge is power hopefully everyone pays attention keep up the good work 🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿🇯🇲🇯🇲🇯🇲
Thanks, Phillip
I got into NBA at a young age in 1983 Iceman George Gervin artist Gilmore as well artist Gilmore play for the Celtics in 87.88 season
Strongest player ever in pro basketball: Wilt Chamberlain. 2nd Strongest: Artis Gilmore. 3rd: Everyone else is tied for third, because it doesn't matter after Artis.
Notice that Artis shot what was the nearest thing ever to Kareem's Sky Hook. Gilmore had a .582 field goal average. He led the league in that stat SIX times. Love that guy.
@Ash Hegde
WILT
ARTIS
SHAQ
@Ash Hegde
yup
That would be also a good match up
prime ARTIS vs prime SHAQ
never underestimate how strong ARTIS is..
Artis was recruited by George Raveling ( Asst coach at Villanova ) George got Howard Porter to come to Nova and almost got Artis Gilmore. Word has it the Priest wouldn't let both players in at the same time. Howard and Artis played in the Narberth summer league together ( 5 miles down the road from Villanova's campus).Boy that would have been some lineup.
A TESTAMENT to Artis's strength in the paint is his NBA record .599% field goal percentage over 18 seasons. He is the most underrated center in NBA history. And his left handed hook shot was hard to stop. Also, when he got the drop on you for a dunk, it was automatic 2 points.
I liked artis. He was always about the team
One of my favourite players.A pleasure to watch.Mel & him in my top ten centers.First five years,Gimore22.3pt/17.1reb/3.4blk/.557fg%.Daniel's first five,21.0pt/16.8reb/?/.472fg%
The a train was under-rated….he never gott the right situation except the Kentucky colonel’s….powerful dude with a nice touch
I’m proud to see we have a Hall Of Fame player from our little Washington County. I’m from Vernon but my grandad said he hated playing against Artis growing up 😂
I remember watching Gilmore in the ABA, that Colonels team that won the ABA championship could have won the NBA championship.
I would count the ABA rings as much as the NBA during that era. Obviously the NBA wasn't nearly as strong a league before the merger so if someone discounts the ABA ring, the same could be said for the NBA rings. The ABA stars all went on to have good runs in the NBA after the merger.
@@yippee-ki-yay9925 Correct. 1975 Colonels easily beat 75 Warriors.
Issel and Barry cancel each other. Issel was a monster. I have him over several top NBA 75. Gilmore then controls the runway to the hoop.
Colonels 4 GSW 2.
@@Wixom2200 I agree. It is a shame that the NBA doesn't officially recognize the ABA stats. The ABA was smaller but it was clearly a major pro league and was absorbed into the NBA. I suppose there may still be some lingering competitive feelings but it was almost 50 years ago. Drives me nuts when NBA doesn't count the records of Artis, Malone, Issel, Dr J etc when they talk about lifetime stats.
left handed version of kareem with the sky hook. gets lost whenever great center lists comes up but thankfully he's in the HOF
Christopher Tifre*
ARTIS was also the POWER VERSION with the LEFT HANDED VERSION of KAREEM.. AND much more scarier quiet dude
Wow IDKT 😂 he did the work. Hell of a guy. Is he still around?
Yes, he lives in Florida
@@keythjones9588 I remember him when the ABA merged with the NBA. He was good.. 👍🏽
Man I remeber going to a Carolina Cougars game as a kid and during halftime I walked along the out of bounds area and Artis pattimng me on the head. He seemed to be a very nice man.
Thing i still remember about the guy was hi shot blocking ability. He was blocking shots that didn't look possible.
He blocked the skyhook.
@@victorgardner7584 Artis Gilmore and Wilt Chamberlain blocked Jabbar's vaunted sky hook. In that NCAA finals against UCLA, John Wooden was just a better coach. The Dolphins didn't have that third player, just Rex Morgan and Artis Gilmore. UCLA had a championship pedigree, why the Dolphin's were the one hit wonders.
Rick Barry said the same.
..No idea why Mr. A. isn't appreciated, this day.
You did not want to see him on the court that night..
Best center, ever! ..Just never played on "dynasty-teams.."
TRUTH!
My all time favorite Chicago Bull.
All time great.
Where are the big men today..
At the arc.
on 2,oo8 I worked at a local Labor Finders I'm Jax FLA with one of his older brothers - his name was Archie Gilmore & he lived basically on the streets & frank alot - but I remember him always talking about Artis & his game & money - quite an experience - I hope Archie is alive doing well - he told me his feet was to small to play basketball even though he was 6''6 LoL
Why didn't artis help his brother?
Rex Morgan spent a brief while on the Boston Celtics bench
Well done
Artis Gilmore...Wilbur Holland...Reggie Theus....Chicago Stadium.....Benny the Bull.....the LuvaBulls.
The Bulls , PRE-Jordan lol.
It was a trainwreck but it was a lot of fun.
7:52, never happened in Naptown. We loved Gilmore!