VG - EX. October 30, 1981 - Market Square Arena (Indianapolis). 1981-82 NBA Opening Night ticket stub from game between the Pacers and the Bulls. Artis Gilmore poured in 25 points and grabbed 9 rebounds for the Bulls, but it wasn’t enough as Indiana won a squeaker 96 - 94 behind 20 points from Billy Knight.
Game marked the NBA debuts of:
- Herb Williams (Ohio State.)
- Roger Burkman (Louisville)
After a celebrated four year college career at Ohio State., Herb Williams played for an amazing 18 years in the NBA - finally retiring at the age of 40. The bulk of his career was split between the Pacers and the Knicks (with a shorter stint in Dallas).
Burkman only appeared in five more games for the Bulls. Sadly, in his 30 minutes of career floor time over six games in the NBA, Burkman failed to make a shot from the floor - going 0 - 4. He did manage to make 5 of 6 free throw attempts however, and also amassed 6 rebounds, 6 steals and 2 blocks, so his name is etched in the record book.