Kentucky Colonels – From Way Downtown

Does Pro Basketball Have a Drug Problem? 1975

A former trainer in the ABA said, “I’d never be able to walk into a court of law and state that members of (my) team were taking drugs. But I do feel that drugs are more prominent than when I first started in the league in 1968.”

Warren Armstrong (Jabali): Like a Rock, 1969-1975

“Warren plays like he was 6-foot-6 or 6-foot-7. It’s not all jumping ability, either. He can jump with anybody, but [when] he gets around the ball, he’s got timing and he’s strong.”

Kentucky Colonels: Finger-Licking Good, 1976

The Kentucky folks sat back and watched the “greatest show on earth”—the Colonels winning the ABA championship.

Artis Gilmore: Million-Dollar Baby on Display, 1972

Artis is neither Kareem Abdul-Jabbar nor Bill Russell. He is simply Artis Gilmore, a big, talented, quiet, young man, who, by the time this basketball season is over, will have made his presence felt not by comparison, but by his own accomplishments.

John Brisker: ‘Super Rook’ and His Smashing Left Hook, 1970

So, Brisker has chosen to live by the left hook. “A couple of times it’s helped to get some breathing room when I belted guys,” he explains. “Some I try to shake off my back, but mostly, I get into fights by hustling for the ball, being aggressive. But, really, I have to quit the scuffling.”

Ron King: A Simple Twist of Fate, 1972

“If that hadn’t happened, it would have been all different,” he said. “I know I could play. When I was that age, I don’t think there were five players in the country who could shoot better than me from 20 feet on out. I could flat shoot the ball.”