Who is Michael Gilmore? 5 things to know about the new Belgian Lion

Who is Michael Gilmore ? 5 things to know about the new Belgian Lion (25/ 2m08). He will play his first minutes with the Belgian Jersey this week against Lithuania and Czech Republic.

Michael Gilmore (25y/2M08) mainly plays the power-forward position (he considered himself as a power-forward). He’s very athletic and can run the floor in transition. He also likes to shoot from long range, last season he averaged more than 1 shoot from 3 per game.

Jacques Stas, the Sports Manager of the Belgian Lions, “discovered” that Gilmore, thank’s to his mother, was able to ask a Belgian passport. Stas introduced him to the federation and presented the opportunity to represent Belgium to Gilmore. Michael Gilmore received his Belgian passport and he was selected by coach Gjergja for this Eurobasket window.

He is the nephew of Artis Gilmore

Artis Gilmore is a former American basketball player who played for the Chicago Bulls, the San Antonio Spurs and the Boston Celtics. He played in the ABA and in the NBA. Artis Gilmore was inducted into the basketball Hall of Fame in 2011. His uncle, Oren Gilmore, played for Castors Braine. His mother is born in Brussels, that’s why he received a Belgian passport.

He was in ESPN top 100

After graduating high school, Michael Gilmore was in ESPN top 100 of the best high school players in the country. He was ranked 76th in this ranking. The power-forward was ranked as the 5th-best player in the state of Florida by ESPN.

He played with NBA stars

Michael Gilmore also played on the AAU circuit. Gilmore played with NBA stars like D’Angelo Russell (Minnesota timberwolves) and Grayson Allen (Memphis Girzzlies) on the AAU circuit, before college. He played at the Nike Global Challenge in Washington DC with this AAU squad.

He played 113 games in NCAA 1

The newest Belgian Lion played 113 games in NCAA 1 in his 5 years of eligibility. The Power-Forward played his first 2 seasons with VCU. Then he transfered to Miami, but he didn’t play for the Hurricanes before joining Florida Gulf Coast University for the 2017-2018 season. Due to the transfer rules in the NCAA, he could only start his season in December 2017. In 2018, he decided to return to VCU for his senior year

He played in Germany last season

Michael Gilmore played last season in Germany with Phoenix Hagen. It was his first professionnal experience. He played 26 games with the German club before the season was stopped. He’s currently a free-agent.