Basketball Star Armen Gilliam Dies Of Apparent Heart Attack
(BlackDoctor.org) — When former UNLV star and NBA veteran Armen Gilliam came out of retirement in 2005 to become player-coach of the ABA’s now-defunct Pittsburgh Xplosion at age 41, he certainly didn’t do it for the lucrative paycheck.
“If I wanted to make money, I’d go overseas,” Gilliam told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette at the time. “I do this for the love of the game.”
It’s tragic but fitting then that Gilliam died Tuesday night doing what he enjoyed most. The 47-year-old Pennsylvania resident was playing in a pickup basketball game at the LA Fitness in Bridgeville when he collapsed on the court as a result of an apparent heart attack. He was rushed to nearby St. Clair Hospital, where he was pronounced dead shortly afterward.
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Gilliam’s death shocked his former UNLV teammates and coaches, especially since he was seldom hurt throughout his 13-year pro career and he kept himself in excellent shape afterward by playing basketball and tennis almost daily. In fact, the 6-foot-9 big man routinely beat men younger than him down the floor during UNLV’s annual legends game and unleashed a memorable dunk during last season’s event.
“Everybody loved Armen and he loved everybody,” former UNLV coach Jerry Tarkanian said through a UNLV spokesman. “I think the world of him. I am just shocked.”
