Earlier than the Chicago Bulls constructed the best dynasty the NBA has ever seen round Michael Jordan, they drafted a famous person from a now-defunct league.
In June of 1979, the American Basketball Affiliation folded. 4 groups, the San Antonio Spurs, Indiana Pacers, Denver Nuggets, and New York Nets, joined the NBA, and the remaining two groups, the Kentucky Colonels and Spirits of St. Louis, had their gamers put in a “dispersal draft” for NBA groups to select.
On August 5, 1979, 12 gamers from Kentucky and St. Louis have been picked by 10 totally different groups, and the Chicago Bulls bought their first famous person with the primary general choose. The Portland Path Blazers, in the meantime, made a essential error.
With superstars like George Gervin, Julius Erving, and Rick Barry already within the NBA, the Bulls had a straightforward selection, deciding on Artis Gilmore first general within the dispersal draft.
Throughout Gilmore’s first 5 ABA seasons with the Colonels, he made the All-Star Sport yearly and received MVP in his rookie season. For good measure, he made 4 All-Defensive Groups, as effectively.
Gilmore would go on to play six seasons with the Bulls, receiving MVP votes in three of these years. He averaged 20.1 factors, 11.5 rebounds, and a couple of.2 blocks per recreation in Chicago, and ranks fourth all-time in win shares behind Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and Chet Walker.
Gilmore was the primary true famous person to play for the Bulls. His handlebar mustache and afro made him stand out on the court docket, and he was persistently among the finest gamers in each leagues he performed in.
After all, Jordan led the Bulls to 6 championships, and Gilmore’s groups made the playoffs solely twice, leaving him a small however vital place in franchise historical past.
Whereas Gilmore was the perfect participant chosen, he was not alone, and two different Corridor of Famers joined the NBA.
With the tenth choose within the draft, the Spurs scooped up Louie Dampier. He was one among Gilmore’s teammates in Kentucky, though, not like Gilmore, he was previous his prime. He was a seven-time All-Star within the ABA, though he by no means averaged double-digit factors in his three NBA seasons in San Antonio.
By the point he was drafted, he was 32 years outdated. The Portland Path Blazers, in the meantime, picked fifth within the draft, though months later they’d commerce their choose to the Buffalo Braves.
It could be the largest blunder in franchise historical past, even greater than choosing Greg Oden over Kevin Durant. In alternate for Rick Robey, Portland gave up Moses Malone, who would go on to win three MVP awards.
The Blazers, after buying and selling Malone in 1976, would win their solely title in 1977 on the again of Invoice Walton, though a frontcourt of Malone and Walton would have dominated the league, even with Walton’s lingering accidents.
Malone performed in solely two ABA seasons earlier than the league folded, and didn’t actually hit his stride till 1978, though throughout his 12-year peak, he averaged 24.2 factors and 13.7 rebounds, simply cementing his standing as an all-time nice, which the Blazers gave up for virtually nothing.
