Alain Gilles (5 May 1945 – 18 November 2014)Alain Gilles s'en est allé .
/ref> was a French professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player and

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

. Standing at 1.88 m (6' 2") tall, Gilles played at the

point guard The point guard (PG), also called the one or the point, is one of the five Basketball positions, positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position. Point guards are expected to run t ...

and

shooting guard The shooting guard (SG), also known as the two, two guard or off guard,Shooting guards are 6'3"–6'7"BBC Sports academy URL last accessed 2006-09-09. is one of the five traditional positions in a regulation basketball game. A shooting guard's m ...

positions. His number 4 jersey was retired by

ASVEL ASVEL Basket, commonly known as ASVEL or sometimes as ASVEL Lyon-Villeurbanne, and also known as LDLC ASVEL for sponsorship reasons, is a French professional basketball team that is located in the city of Villeurbanne, which is a suburb of Lyon, ...

, and the club's logo was also designed in his honor. In 1991, Gilles was included in the

FIBA's 50 Greatest Players FIBA's 50 Greatest Players (1991) is the list of the 50 greatest players in the history of FIBA international basketball, as selected in the year 1991, by FIBA Magazine. The list was created in honor of the 100th anniversary of the creation of the ...

list. The Alain Gilles Trophy (The Best French Player award) is named after him, in his honor. He was named The Best French Basketball Player of the 20th Century, by a panel of players, coaches, and

journalists A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalism ...

. He was nicknamed "Monsieur Basket" (

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

: "Mr. Basket").

Playing career

Gilles played with the French club Chorale Roanne (1962–1965) and the French club

ASVEL Basket ASVEL Basket, commonly known as ASVEL or sometimes as ASVEL Lyon-Villeurbanne, and also known as LDLC ASVEL for sponsorship reasons, is a French professional basketball team that is located in the city of Villeurbanne, which is a suburb of Lyon ...

(1965–1986). During his pro

club Club may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Club'' (magazine) * Club, a ''Yie Ar Kung-Fu'' character * Clubs (suit), a suit of playing cards * Club music * "Club", by Kelsea Ballerini from the album ''kelsea'' Brands and enterprises ...

career, he won 8 French League championships, and 2

French Cup The Coupe de France, formerly known as the Coupe Charles Simon, is the premier knockout cup competition in French football organized by the French Football Federation (FFF). It was first held in 1917 and is open to all amateur and professiona ...

titles. He also won 3 French League Player of the Year awards. In France's top-tier level competition, Gilles scored a total of 18,502 career points. That is the 2nd most points scored in the history of the league, behind only

Hervé Dubuisson Hervé Dubuisson (born 8 August 1957) is a French former professional basketball player and coach. During his playing career, at a height of 1.97 m (6'5 ") tall, he played at the shooting guard and small forward positions. Dubuisson is the French ...

's 19,013 career points scored.

National team career

Gilles played in 160

games A game is a structured form of play, usually undertaken for entertainment or fun, and sometimes used as an educational tool. Many games are also considered to be work (such as professional players of spectator sports or games) or art (such ...

with the senior men's

French national basketball team The France men's national basketball team (french: Équipe de France de basketball) represents France in international basketball and is administered by the French Federation of Basketball. France is currently ranked fifth in the FIBA World Ran ...

Coaching career

Gilles was the

head A head is the part of an organism which usually includes the ears, brain, forehead, cheeks, chin, eyes, nose, and mouth, each of which aid in various sensory functions such as sight, hearing, smell, and taste. Some very simple animals may ...

basketball

of the French club

(1980–1989) and the French club

Montpellier Montpellier (, , ; oc, Montpelhièr ) is a city in southern France near the Mediterranean Sea. One of the largest urban centres in the region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Montpellier is the prefecture of the Departments of ...

(1990–1993). He won the French League championship in 1981, and the

title in 1984.

References

External links

FIBA Profile
(archive)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gilles, Alain 1945 births 2014 deaths ASVEL Basket coaches ASVEL Basket players French basketball coaches French men's basketball players 1963 FIBA World Championship players Sportspeople from Roanne Point guards Shooting guards