Artis Gilmore is one of 22 NBA players born on Sept. 21.
With over 5,000 players in NBA history, at least one player was born on every day of the calendar year – including three leap day ballers. Our day-by-day breakdown of the players born on each day of the year continues.
Below are the most notable NBA players born on Sept 21.
Artis Gilmore (Sept. 21, 1948): His low-key personality and unpretentious playing style did not match the dominant presence Gilmore showcased over a 17-year professional career in the 1970s and 80s. After playing five seasons in the ABA — winning Rookie of the Year and MVP in 1972, earning All-Star and All-ABA First Team honors all five seasons and winning four rebounding title — Gilmore was the first overall pick in the 1976 ABA Dispersal Draft. During his 12-year NBA career with the Bulls, Spurs and a brief stint with the Celtics, the 7-foot-2 center known as the “A Train” was a six-time NBA All-Star thanks to his elite shot-blocking and his efficient scoring. In 909 career NBA games, he amassed 15,579 points (17.1 ppg), 9,161 rebounds (10.1 rpg) and 1,747 blocks (1.9 bpg). Entering the 2024-25 season, Gilmore’s 59.9 career field goal percentage remains the top mark for any player averaging over 10 shots per game. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2011.
Sidney Moncrief (Sept. 21, 1957): The winner of the NBA’s first two Defensive Player of the Year awards in 1983 and ’84, Moncrief remains the only guard to win the honor multiple times. A defensive menace to opposing guards, Moncrief played 12 seasons in the NBA, including 11 with the Milwaukee Bucks, who selected him with the fifth pick in the 1979 NBA Draft out of Arkansas. Not only a defensive stalwart, Moncrief had an all-around game that peaked during a five-year stretch from 1981-86, during which he was a five-time All-Star, a five-time All-NBA selection, and a five-time All-Defensive Team selection while averaging over 20 ppg. Over 767 career games with the Bucks and Hawks, Moncrief tallied 11,931 points (15.6 ppg), 3,575 rebounds (4.7 rpg), 2,793 assists (3.6 apg) and 924 steals (1.2 spg). He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2019.
Want to see every NBA player born on Sept. 21? Here is the rest of the list in chronological order:
- Richard Atha (Sept. 21, 1931)
- Ron Sobie (Sept. 21, 1934)
- Joe Strawder (Sept. 21, 1940)
- Steve Courtin (Sept. 21, 1942)
- Jim Burns (Sept. 21, 1945)
- Jack Givens (Sept. 21, 1956)
- Rick Mahorn (Sept. 21, 1958)
- Keith Smart (Sept. 21, 1964)
- Larry Stewart (Sept. 21, 1968)
- Randolph Childress (Sept. 21, 1972)
- Bryce Drew (Sept. 21, 1974)
- Manny Harris (Sept. 21, 1989)
- Al-Farouq Aminu (Sept. 21, 1990)
- David Wear (Sept. 21, 1990)
- Travis Wear (Sept. 21, 1990)
- Devyn Marble (Sept. 21, 1992)
- Bruno Caboclo (Sept. 21, 1995)
- Andrew Funk (Sept. 21, 1999)
- Marcus Sasser (Sept. 21, 2000)
- Kobe Bufkin (Sept. 21, 2003)
