Centers of Attention: Artis Gilmore and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, 1975

[I once did a telephone interview with Artis Gilmore. The topic: Why he signed with the ABA? After about 20 minutes, the conversation meandered off topic, and Gilmore asked me out of the blue. “Have you ever ridden in a hot air balloon?” He then explained that’s what a pro career is like. You’re flying high for a while, and the world below is seemingly …