from Rick Bonnell Charlotte Observer:
Incredibly sad news that former Charlotte Hornets power forward Armen Gilliam died of a heart attack Tuesday night. He was just 47.
Gilliam was playing pickup basketball in suburban Pittsburgh.
*****(To read all on Gilliam from Rick Bonnell CLICK HERE and you will be glad you did.)*****
from Andy Durham at Greensborosports.com:
I met Armen Gilliam at breakfast one Sunday morning, at the Charlotte Marriot Hotel and we both were enjoying the All You Could Buffet at the Marriot…..
I was staying at the Marriot after taking in a Charlotte Hornets game the night before at the second old Charlotte Coliseum(since emploded and now a parking lot), and had seen the Hornets take on the Sacremento Kings and an aging Ralph Sampson the previous evening…..
Armen Gillaim was a good guy and we talked it all over at breakfast that morning and my radio trip down to see the Hornets was quite an adventure, to say the least….Armen was such a good guy and a good player and I always spelled his first name Armon, but I am seeing it as Armen in all reports and we will go with that….Excellent college player at UNLV and very solid part of the Charlotte Hornets…..
RIP Armen Gilliam……(Looking at the Wikipedia, I was correct. Born Armon and changed spelling to Armen……)
More about Gilliam from Wikipedia:
Armen Louis Gilliam (born May 28, 1964 – July 5, 2011) nicknamed “The Hammer”, was an American professional basketball player who played 13 years in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1987–2000. He also played one season (2005–06) for the Pittsburgh Xplosion of the American Basketball Association.
Born Armon Louis Gilliam, he began his college basketball career in 1982-83 at Independence Junior College in Independence, Kansas. That year, Gilliam was a standout player on the basketball team that reached the Junior College Finals and finished 6th in the nation. Gilliam averaged 24.9 points and 14 rebounds in five tournament games and was named to the National Junior college finals all-tournament team.
Gilliam continued his college basketball career with UNLV. Gilliam played for UNLV from (1983–87)and was an integral part of a team that was 93-11 in the 3 years he played for the UNLV Rebels. The UNLV team was ranked number one in the country for most of the three years Gilliam competed and the team made it to the NCAA tournament every year during his stay. In 1987 the team reached the “Final Four and Gilliam was named to the NCAA Final Four all-tournament team. Gilliam scored 998 points in his senior year which was and still is a school record for the most points scored in season by a UNLV player. Gilliam also played on the U.N.L.V team that won 38 games in a season which is still a N.C.A.A. Division 1 record for most wins in a season. In 1987 Gilliam was selected for a number of All-American Teams and voted the top contender for the John Wooden award.