Before the Chicago Bulls built the greatest dynasty the NBA has ever seen around Michael Jordan, they drafted a superstar from a now-defunct league.
In June of 1979, the American Basketball Association folded. Four teams, the San Antonio Spurs, Indiana Pacers, Denver Nuggets, and New York Nets, joined the NBA, and the remaining two teams, the Kentucky Colonels and Spirits of St. Louis, had their players put in a “dispersal draft” for NBA teams to pick.
On August 5, 1979, 12 players from Kentucky and St. Louis were picked by 10 different teams, and the Chicago Bulls got their first superstar with the first overall pick. The Portland Trail Blazers, meanwhile, made a critical error.
With superstars like George Gervin, Julius Erving, and Rick Barry already in the NBA, the Bulls had an easy choice, selecting Artis Gilmore first overall in the dispersal draft.
During Gilmore’s first five ABA seasons with the Colonels, he made the All-Star Game every year and won MVP in his rookie season. For good measure, he made four All-Defensive Teams, as well.
Gilmore would go on to play six seasons with the Bulls, receiving MVP votes in three of those years. He averaged 20.1 points, 11.5 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks per game in Chicago, and ranks fourth all-time in win shares behind Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and Chet Walker.
Gilmore was the first true superstar to play for the Bulls. His handlebar mustache and afro made him stand out on the court, and he was consistently one of the best players in both leagues he played in.
Of course, Jordan led the Bulls to six championships, and Gilmore’s teams made the playoffs only twice, leaving him a small but significant place in franchise history.
While Gilmore was the best player selected, he was not alone, and two other Hall of Famers joined the NBA.
With the tenth pick in the draft, the Spurs scooped up Louie Dampier. He was one of Gilmore’s teammates in Kentucky, although, unlike Gilmore, he was past his prime. He was a seven-time All-Star in the ABA, although he never averaged double-digit points in his three NBA seasons in San Antonio.
By the time he was drafted, he was 32 years old. The Portland Trail Blazers, meanwhile, picked fifth in the draft, although months later they would trade their pick to the Buffalo Braves.
It would be the biggest blunder in franchise history, even bigger than picking Greg Oden over Kevin Durant. In exchange for Rick Robey, Portland gave up Moses Malone, who would go on to win three MVP awards.
The Blazers, after trading Malone in 1976, would win their only title in 1977 on the back of Bill Walton, although a frontcourt of Malone and Walton would have dominated the league, even with Walton’s lingering injuries.
Malone played in only two ABA seasons before the league folded, and didn’t really hit his stride until 1978, although during his 12-year peak, he averaged 24.2 points and 13.7 rebounds, easily cementing his status as an all-time great, which the Blazers gave up for practically nothing.
