Artis Gilmore
A physically dominant center with a signature afro, he ruled the paint in both the ABA and NBA as one of the most efficient scorers and rebounders ever.
Born 1949 (age 77)·American basketball player·Birthday: September 21·Baby Boomers
Biography
Artis Gilmore entered professional basketball not with a whisper, but with the force of a man who seemed built in a lab for the sport. Standing nearly seven-foot-two, crowned by a towering afro, he was an immediate force for the Kentucky Colonels of the ABA after leading Jacksonville University to an NCAA championship game. Gilmore wasn't just tall; he was powerfully athletic, leading the ABA in rebounding four times and winning the 1972 MVP and championship in his rookie season. When the ABA merged with the NBA, he brought his consistent, low-post dominance to the Chicago Bulls, where for years he was a nightly double-double, shooting with remarkable accuracy from the field. His game was built on fundamental power—drop steps, hook shots, and relentless board work—rather than flash. For over a decade, Gilmore was a model of durable excellence, his career totals speaking to a quiet, unwavering dominance that finally earned him a rightful place in the Basketball Hall of Fame.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Artis was born in 1949, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Artis Was Born
The biggest hits of 1949
#1 Movie
Samson and Delilah
Best Picture
All the King's Men
#1 TV Show
Texaco Star Theatre
Artis's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1949Born
NATO founded; Mao proclaims the People's Republic of China
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Riders in the Sky" — Vaughn MonroeBest Picture: All the King's Men
1954Started school
Brown v. Board of Education desegregates US schools
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $8,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Little Things Mean a Lot" — Kitty KallenBest Picture: On the Waterfront
1962Became a teenager
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1965Could drive
US sends combat troops to Vietnam
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,600Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" — The Rolling StonesBest Picture: The Sound of Music
1967Could vote
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1970Turned 21
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1979Turned 30
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1989Turned 40
Berlin Wall falls; Tiananmen Square protests
Gas: $1.00/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Look Away" — ChicagoBest Picture: Driving Miss Daisy
1999Turned 50
Columbine shooting; Y2K panic builds
Gas: $1.17/galHome: $113,900Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Believe" — CherBest Picture: American Beauty
2009Turned 60
Michael Jackson dies; Bitcoin created
Gas: $2.35/galHome: $148,500Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Boom Boom Pow" — The Black Eyed PeasBest Picture: The Hurt Locker
2019Turned 70
First image of a black hole; Hong Kong protests
Gas: $2.60/galHome: $224,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Old Town Road" — Lil Nas XBest Picture: Parasite
2026Age 77 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Won the ABA Most Valuable Player and championship in his rookie season with the Kentucky Colonels (1972).
- Holds the professional basketball record for highest career field goal percentage (59.9%).
- Led the ABA in rebounds per game four times and in blocks per game once.
- Selected to 11 combined All-Star games across the ABA and NBA.
- Inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2011.
Did You Know?
His ABA rookie contract with the Kentucky Colonels made him the highest-paid player in professional basketball history at the time.
He played more games in the NBA and ABA combined (1,329) than any other Hall of Fame center.
Before focusing on basketball, he was a talented baseball pitcher in high school and was scouted by major league teams.
He and his Jacksonville University teammates were nicknamed 'The Dunkin' Dolphins' for their above-the-rim style.
“You have to be a force in the middle, not just a tall man.”
