Armen Gilliam

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**Armen Gilliam**
Position:	forward
Height:	6'9"
Weight:	230 lb
Team:	Phoenix Suns ('88-'90) Charlotte Hornets ('90-'91) Philadelphia 76ers ('91-'93) New Jersey Nets ('94-'96) Milwaukee Bucks ('97-'99) Utah Jazz ('00)
Nationality:	American
Born:	May 28, 1964 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
College:	University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Drafted:	Round 1, pick 2 (Phoenix Suns) 1987 NBA Draft
Pro career:	1987 – 2000
Awards:	NBA All-Rookie team ('88)

Armen Louis Gilliam (born Armon Louis Gilliam on May 28, 1964, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), nicknamed "The Hammer", is an American professional basketball player for the Pittsburgh Xplosion of the American Basketball Association (ABA). In the 2005-2006 ABA All-Star Game at the BankAtlantic Center, Armen Gilliam was named MVP.

Gilliam began his professional career with the NBA when he was selected second overall in the 1987 NBA Draft by the Phoenix Suns. He retired from the NBA in 2000 after 15 seasons with six different teams. In his career, he averaged 13.7 points and 6.9 rebounds per game.

Towards the end of his NBA career he altered the spelling of his first name from "Armon" to "Armen" because he was tired of it continually being mispronounced. At the time, he was quoted as saying: "Most people pronounced it Ar-MON. I've been correcting it a long time, and I got tired of it. I just thought that if I put the 'e' in there, it would make it a lot easier. I'm not Muslim. It's not religious or anything like that."[1]

Following his playing days in the NBA, Gilliam coached the NCAA Division III Penn State Altoona Cougars of the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference for several unsuccessful years before returning to play in the ABA.