ARTIS GILMORE - BASKETBALL SIGNED CO-SIGNED BY: DAVE COWENS, GEORGE GERVIN, MAURICE LUCAS, BOB "BUTTERBEAN" LOVE, BOB LANIER, ED MANNING, DAN ROUNDFIELD, BOBBY JONES - HFSID 277198

BASKETBALL STARS OF THE 1970s and 1980s
Many played in the American Basketball Association before starring in the NBA.
Basketball signed: "Artis Gilmore", "Bobby Jones", "George/Gervin", "Maurice Lucas/#20", "Bob Love/Bulls/#10", "Bob Lanier", "Ed Manning/22", "Zelmo Beaty", "Dan Roundfield" and "Dave Cowens/#18" and 1 unidentified signature. Wilson indoor/outdoor "Pro 285" basketball, signed in side panels. In all 11 signatures. Muscular center ARTIS GILMORE played with the Kentucky Colonels of the American Basketball Association for five years, beginning in 1971, moving to the NBA in 1976 for 12 more seasons, playing mostly with the Chicago Bulls and San Antonio Spurs. An 11-time All-Star in the two leagues, Gilmore can boast the highest ever career field goal percentage in the NBA (.599). The soft spoken Gilmore, who rarely yelled at officials or opponents, was criticized by some Chicago fans as insufficiently aggressive on the court, but his clutch performances refuted that notion. BOBBY JONES joined the ABA Denver Nuggets in 1974, staying with the team when it moved to the NBA. He was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers in 1978. Jones was a 5-time All-Star and led each league in field goal percentage. Noted for his outstanding defense and team play, Jones made a point of pointing to the teammate whose pass to him had resulted in a goal. Although he never won a championship, every team for which Jones played in his 12-year pro career made the playoffs! This Bobby Jones should not be confused with the current player, who has also been a 76er and a Nugget. GEORGE GERVIN, called "the Iceman" or simply "Ice" for his cool demeanor on the court, began his pro career with the Virginia Squires in 1972, moved to the San Antonio Spurs in 1974, continued with that team when it entered the NBA, and played one final season with the Chicago Bulls (1985-1986). The Hall of Famer was named one of the 30 all-time ABA greats, and to the list of 50 greatest NBA players. The shooting guard averaged 26.2 points per game in his NBA career. Power forward MAURICE LUCAS, known as "the Enforcer," spent his first two pro seasons in the ABA with the Spirit of St Louis and the Kentucky Colonels. Joining the NBA's Portland Trail Blazers, he helped his new team win the 1977 NBA Championship. Lucas, who made each league's All-Star team four times, played in the NBA until 1988, beginning and ending with the Trail Blazers. BOB LOVE's story should be made into a movie. Drafted by the NBA Cincinnati Royals in 1965, he failed to make the team, becoming instead the Rookie of the Year in the Eastern Basketball League. That performance earned him a spot on the Royals' roster, and he moved to the Chicago Bulls in the 1968 expansion draft. Everyone knows that Michael Jordan is the Bulls' all-time leading scorer. How many people outside Chicago know that Bob "Butterbean" Love ranks number two (12,623 points)? After a severe back injury forced his retirement in 1977, Love's prospects plummeted. Crippled, and with a severe stutter, Love lost his wife. At one point he was busing tables and washing dishes at $4.45 per hour. After surgery and speech therapy, Love made a heartwarming comeback as Director of Community Relations for the Bulls. The formerly speech impaired Love is also a motivational speaker. MAURICE LUCAS starred for the NBA Detroit Pistons (1970-1979) before being traded to the Milwaukee Bucks, who won their Division every year Lucas played there (through 1984). The 8-time All-Star averaged over 20 points and over 10 rebounds per game for his career. His size-22 basketball shoes were featured in Miller Lite beer commercials in the 1980s, and are now on display in the Basketball Hall of Fame. ED MANNING reversed the direction of several other signers on this ball, playing three seasons in the NBA (1977-1981) before jumping to the ABA, where he played until 1976, most successfully for the Carolina Cougars. In 1983 Manning was hired by former ABA teammate Larry Brown as his coaching assistant at the University of Kansas. In 1988, his son Danny Manning led the KU team to an NCAA Championship. An All-Star in two of his seven seasons with the St Louis Hawks (1966, 1968), ZELMO BEATY moved to the ABA, where he helped lead the Utah Stars to a championship in 1971. He later returned to the NBA to play for the Lakers. DAN ROUNDFIELD joined the Indiana Pacers in 1975, the team's last season in the ABA, and then moved with the franchise to the NBA. A three-time NBA All-Star (1980-1982) known for his stout defense and rebounding skills, Roundfield also played for Atlanta, Detroit and Washington. He reached the playoffs with all four of his teams. Center DAVE COWENS starred for the Boston Celtics from 1970 to 1980, making the NBA All-Star season in seven consecutive seasons (1972-1978). The League's MVP in 1973, he was coaxed out of retirement for one season in Milwaukee (1982-1983). A key member of the NBA Championship Celtics teams of 1974 and 1976, he was a bridge between the 60's Celtics of Bill Russell and the 80's Celtics of Larry Bird. The American Basketball Association, where most of the signers of this ball played part of their careers, challenged the established National Basketball Association for nine seasons (1967-1976). A merger in the latter year brought only four of the ABA franchises (New York, Denver, Indiana and San Antonio) into the NBA, so some might see the league as a failure. But the ABA introduced many great new stars, along with the 3-point shot and its red, white and blue basketballs. It is fondly remembered by its fans, and still honored with websites and reunions. Fine condition.