Artis Gilmore signs with Jacksonville Jam
November 14, 2006 - American Basketball Association (ABA)
Jacksonville Slam News Release
Jacksonville, FL. Former NBA All-Star and five-time ABA All-Star Artis Gilmore will return to the basketball court on November 19th at the University of North Florida as a member of the Jacksonville Jam. Gilmore, a local resident of Jacksonville, is known by his nickname, "The A-Train," and his outstanding performance in both the NBA and ABA.
Gilmore helped put basketball back on the map in Jacksonville when he played at Jacksonville University. He led the team to the NCAA Championship final game against UCLA in 1970.
"Artis has had an outstanding career and we felt we should honor that career by bringing him out of retirement for a game," said Felix Krupczynski, owner of the Jacksonville Jam. "At half time, we will pay tribute to his many contributions on and off the court and then retire his #53 jersey in honor of his legacy," Krupczynski added.
Gilmore was named to Sporting News' and Athlon's Top 50 of the first 50 years of the NBA. He was also leading left-handed scorer in professional basketball history. Gilmore's impressive honors include: Career .599 field-goal percentage - highest in NBA history; ABA Championship, Kentucky Colonels (1975); 3rd highest shot blocker in pro basketball (ABA/NBA) history (3,178); 5th highest rebounder in pro basketball history (ABA/NBA) (16,330); 18th of all time pro basketball (ABA/NBA) scorers (24,941); ABA Most Valuable Player and Rookie (1971-72); One of seven unanimous selections to the ABA All-Time Team; Six-time NBA All Star; Top of ESPN's list of "Players Missing from the Hall of Fame."
Tickets are now on sale and can be purchased at www.jaxjam.com. Prices start at $10. Tipoff is 605pm. For more information, visit www.abalive.com.
Note: OurSports Central no longer actively covers the American Basketball Association (ABA) as a professional league due in part to its inability to publish and play a schedule and the transitory nature of many of its teams. For information on professional minor leagues, please see OSC's basketball section.
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