Herman L. Gilliam Jr. (May 5, 1946 – April 16, 2005) was an American professional
basketball player. He was born in
Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
College career
Herm Gilliam attended
Purdue University, located in
West Lafayette, Indiana. He played under head coach
George King George King may refer to:
Politics
* George King (Australian politician) (1814–1894), New South Wales and Queensland politician
* George King, 3rd Earl of Kingston (1771–1839), Irish nobleman and MP for County Roscommon
* George Clift King (184 ...
and alongside
Billy Keller
William Curry Keller (born August 30, 1947) is an American retired professional basketball player.
High school career
Billy Keller, the 5'10" guard, spent his entire basketball career in the state of Indiana. He attended George Washington Commu ...
and three-time All-American
Rick Mount. He was an honored co-captain of the
Boilermakers in both his junior and senior years and helped lead the Boilers to an
NCAA Finals appearance in 1969. He led Purdue with 8.5 rebounds per game his senior season and received ''First Team All-Big Ten'' honors. He twice received Purdue's Most Valuable Player award and was the recipient of the Ward Lambert Scholarship Trophy for scholastic excellence. In three varsity seasons at Purdue, the 6'3" and 190 lb guard scored 1,118 points and finished his collegiate career in 5th place among the school's all-time scoring leaders, averaging 16 points a game. After his junior season, Herm declined to leave before his senior year for a chance to play for the
Chicago Bulls, whom he was drafted by in the 13th round of the
1968 NBA draft. In 2006, he was inducted in the Purdue Athletic Hall of Fame.
Professional career
Cincinnati Royals, Buffalo Braves
Gilliam was selected by the
Kentucky Colonels
The Kentucky Colonels were a member of the American Basketball Association for all of the league's nine years. The name is derived from the historic Kentucky colonels. The Colonels won the most games and had the highest winning percentage of ...
in the 1969
ABA
ABA may refer to:
Businesses and organizations
Broadcasting
* Alabama Broadcasters Association, United States
* Asahi Broadcasting Aomori, Japanese television station
* Australian Broadcasting Authority
Education
* Académie des Beaux- ...
draft and by the
Cincinnati Royals in the first round (8th pick) of the
1969 NBA draft
The 1969 NBA draft was the 23rd annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on April 7 and May 7, 1969, before the 1969–70 season. In this draft, fourteen NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college bas ...
. He averaged 7.5 points a game in his rookie season while playing in Cincinnati. He missed the last few weeks of the season due to him serving six months of military duty. After his first season, Gilliam was selected by the
Buffalo Braves, an expansion team, in the 1970 NBA Expansion Draft.
He spent the 1970–71 season with Buffalo, averaging 11.2 points and just over 4 rebounds a game.
Atlanta Hawks
During his
honeymoon
A honeymoon is a vacation taken by newlyweds immediately after their wedding, to celebrate their marriage. Today, honeymoons are often celebrated in destinations considered exotic or romantic. In a similar context, it may also refer to the phase ...
, "Bitty", as he was known to teammates, was traded to the
Atlanta Hawks on July 23, 1971 to start the 1971–72 season. Working with the likes of
Lou Hudson and
Pete Maravich in the backcourt, he averaged 10.2 points a game and had career high 83.8 free-throw percentage, connecting with 145 on the season. He scored his season high of 30 points vs. the
Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cleveland Cavaliers (often referred to as the Cavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Ea ...
on March 19, 1972. Herm's best career season came during the 1972–73 campaign, where he averaged 14 points and 5.25 rebounds a game with a .468 field goal percentage, while leading the Hawks in steals. In his only season in which he scored over 1,000 points (1,665), he scored a career high 35 points against the
Portland Trail Blazers on October 26, 1973. During his four seasons with Atlanta, he averaged 12.5 points a game, including his career high of 14.1 during the 1973–74 season.
Seattle SuperSonics, Portland Trail Blazers
On October 22, 1975, Gilliam was traded to the
Seattle SuperSonics. Gilliam suffered from a knee injury during the 1975–76 season, but rallied back and scored his season high 24 points in a game. After an injury-prone season with the SuperSonics, Gilliam was traded to the
Portland Trail Blazers, where he won an
NBA championship ring with the likes of
Bill Walton during his final season in 1977. Early in the season Gilliam was unhappy with his playing time. However, he refused a trade to New Orleans, a team which promised him more playing time, to stay in Portland, as he felt the Trail Blazers gave him a greater chance at winning a championship.
Gilliam's best game of the season came in game four of the Western Conference Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers, where he scored 24 points on 12 of 18 shooting from the field.
[Halberstam, David. ''The Breaks of the Game.'' Random House. 1981. pg. 23] David Halberstam
David Halberstam (April 10, 1934 April 23, 2007) was an American writer, journalist, and historian, known for his work on the Vietnam War, politics, history, the Civil Rights Movement, business, media, American culture, Korean War, and later ...
described his contributions in this game in his book ''
The Breaks of the Game
''The Breaks of the Game'' is a 1981 sports book written by Pulitzer Prize winning reporter David Halberstam about the Portland Trail Blazers' 1979–1980 season. The Trail Blazers are a professional basketball team which plays in the National B ...
''.
Retirement
After retiring from the NBA, he took a job with
United Parcel Service where he worked for 15 years, eventually being promoted to managing the company's
Corvallis–
Albany hub.
Gilliam died of a
heart attack on April 16, 2005 in
Salem, Oregon
Salem ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of Oregon, and the county seat of Marion County, Oregon, Marion County. It is located in the center of the Willamette Valley alongside the Willamette River, which runs north through the city. The river ...
.
References
External links
Herm Gilliam Remembered@ NBA.com
@ databasebasketball.com
High Flyer: Gilliam Remembered As Fine Athlete, Personby Off the BASN Sports Wire By John Delong. Posted April 25, 2005
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gilliam, Herm
1946 births
2005 deaths
African-American basketball players
American men's basketball players
Atlanta Hawks players
Basketball players from Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Buffalo Braves expansion draft picks
Buffalo Braves players
Chicago Bulls draft picks
Cincinnati Royals draft picks
Cincinnati Royals players
Kentucky Colonels draft picks
Point guards
Portland Trail Blazers players
Purdue Boilermakers men's basketball players
Seattle SuperSonics players
Shooting guards
Sportspeople from Salem, Oregon
20th-century African-American sportspeople
21st-century African-American people