During his playing days, Artis Gilmore was one of the most physically imposing big men in the game, and a forgotten force among NBA circles.
Standing at 7-foot-2 and weighing 240 pounds, Gilmore was so dominant in the paint. Similar to the likes of Wilt Chamberlain and Shaquille O’Neal, he simply overpowered his opponents, allowing him to get easy looks around the basket.
It was always so easy for Gilmore. All he had to do was catch the ball near the basket, take a couple dribbles in and throw up a baby hook from inside the restricted area. This was a large reason for his 58.7 percent conversion rate from the field in seven seasons with the Bulls.
Due to his size, Gilmore was also a force on the offensive glass, pulling down 3.1 offensive rebounds per game, giving him even easier opportunities to rake in the buckets.
With 19.3 points a night with Chicago and back-to-back seasons topping 20+ points, it was no secret Gilmore was as tough a cover as there was a the time. This was simply because not many opposing players had the physical traits necessary to slow him down offensively.
When talking about the most dominant forces throughout NBA history, Gilmore doesn’t come up as much as it should.
Sure, he doesn’t have the counting numbers to hang with the likes of Chamberlain and O’Neal, but just based on size and strength, he’s right there with those two all-time greats as someone no team could really create a game plan for defensively. This allowed him to have his way with any and all opponents down low.