Armen Gilliam

'The Hammer' powered UNLV to the 1987 Final Four, scoring a school-record 998 points as a senior, and went second overall in that year's draft. He made the All-Rookie first team in Phoenix and lasted 13 NBA seasons, clearing 10,000 career points before finishing with the Jazz in 1999–2000. Late in his career he changed the spelling from Armon to Armen — simply tired of mispronunciations.

He coached small-college ball at Penn State Altoona from 2002 to 2005 and returned to play for the ABA's Pittsburgh Xplosion at 41, winning All-Star Game MVP honors. On July 5, 2011, Gilliam collapsed during a game at a gym near Pittsburgh and died of a heart attack at 47, survived by three children.

HOW HE CAME & WENTPhoenix's second overall pick in 1987 reached Utah for the 1999-2000 season, the last of his NBA career.

Full name

Armen Louis Gilliam

Utah Jazz tenure

1999–2000

Position

Forward

Born

1964, Pittsburgh

Died

2011

Height

6′9″ (206 cm)

Weight

231 lb (105 kg)

College

UNLV

Drafted

1987, 1st round (No. 2), Phoenix

Why this player is hard to find

Fifty games for the Jazz late in his career. He died in 2011. A Jazz card exists unsigned, certified signatures are scarce.