Card insert shows off Gilmore's amazing Afro.

I recently got my long, elegant fingers on an Artis Gilmore basketball card from 1973-74, when the 7′ 2″ center was entering his third season with the Kentucky Colonels of the American Basketball Association. Gilmore played 17 seasons in the ABA and NBA and was one of the greatest big men of all time, making the All-Star team 11 times. He played one additional season in Italy. It’s a perplexing oversight that the Gilmore has never even been close to being voted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. Perhaps his strong game has been overshadowed by his even stronger Afro.

In 2007, Gilmore joined the staff of his alma mater, Jackonsville University. That’s the last reference to him I can find. The following is the text on the reverse side of his card:

“The top vote-getter in balloting for the 1972-73 ABA All-Star Team, Artis was the only repeater from the 1971-72 First Team. A dominating man in the middle on defense and off the boards, he led the league in Rebounding, 2-Point Field Goal Shooting and Blocked Shots for the second consecutive season. Artis also was 10th in Scoring with 20.8 Average. Artis and his wife became parents for the 1st time 1-26-73.”

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