Artis Gilmore was born on 21 September 1949, in Chipley, Florida USA, and is a retired professional basketball player, known for having played in the American Basketball Association (ABA) and the National Basketball Association (NBA), who has been inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. All of his efforts have helped put his net worth to where it is today.
How rich is Artis Gilmore? As of early-2017, sources estimate a net worth that is at $5 million, mostly earned through a successful career in professional basketball. He was a five time All-Star in the ABA, having been the first pick of the 1976 NBA dispersal draft. All of his achievements helped ensure the position of his wealth.
Artis Gilmore Net Worth $5 million
Artis attended Carver High School and would matriculate in 1967. Afterwards, he attended Gardner-Webb Junior College and Jacksonville University, playing college basketball for both. He helped the Jacksonville Dolphins get to the NCAA championship game in 1970 but lost against UCLA. He became one of the five college basketball players in Jacksonville to average 20 points and 20 rebounds over his career. He then joined the 1971 ABA draft and was selected by the Kentucky Colonels. He was also selected by the Chicago Bulls in the 1971 NBA draft.
He opted to join the Kentucky Colonels, and was given a record high contract which immediately increased his net worth. Even at the start of his professional career, he showed his dominance and became the Rookie of the Year as well as the Most Valuable Player of the season, a rare distinction. During his five years, he led the league in rebounds and would also lead two seasons in field goal percentage as well as blocks. He was part of the All-ABA First team for the five seasons, and played in the ABA All-Star game five times. He became the 1974 MVP and helped the Colonels to the 1975 ABA championship, earning him the ABA Playoffs Most Valuable Player award too.
When the ABA ended in 1976, the league merged with the NBA along with four other teams – the Spurs, Nets, Pacers, and Nuggets. The remaining teams folded, and Gilmore went into the dispersal draft, being selected as the first overall pick by the Bulls. He still performed solidly for Chicago and would earn four All-Star selections before being traded to the San Antonio Spurs. He would then get two more All-Star distinctions through 1987, before returning to the Bulls in 1988, before completing his career with the Boston Celtics. At the time of his retirement he was the NBA leader in field goal percentage with 59.9% during his career. He also played a season with the Italian league team Arimo Bologna, in which he made the European All-Star team.
After retirement, Artis returned to Jacksonville, becoming the Special Assistant to the President at his alma mater in 2007. He also provided color commentary at the school’s flagship station WJXL. In 2011, he was elected into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, and the following year, he was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame.
For his personal life, it is known that Gilmore married his college sweetheart Enola Gay in 1972. They have five children.
