Today’s NBA fan most likely has never heard of Mike Gale. He started his professional basketball journey in the ABA when he was drafted by the Kentucky Colonels in the 1971 ABA Draft.
At the same time, Gale was drafted in the ABA, he was also drafted by the Chicago Bulls in the 1971 NBA Draft, but Gale chose to play in the ABA. Gale played five years in the ABA, winning the 1974 ABA championship with the New York Nets.
Gale was also a two-time All-Defensive team selection during his time in the ABA, but as mentioned above, the ABA wasn’t the only league Gale played in. In the NBA, Gale played six seasons in the NBA for the Golden State Warriors, Portland Trail Blazers, and, most notably, the San Antonio Spurs.
The most famous story of Gale involved a playoff game when he played for the Spurs. The thing was, the big story wasn’t about his play but the fact he wore a Washington Bullets jersey.
Mike Gale Wears An Inside-Out Bullets Jersey
The Washington Bullets struggled throughout the 1977-78 season, finishing with a 44-38 record. They made the playoffs as the third seed in the Eastern Conference and surprised everyone by making the NBA Finals and winning 4-3 over the Seattle SuperSonics.
On their way to winning an NBA title, they played the San Antonio Spurs in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. In the final game of the series, Game 6, the Spurs had an interesting situation involving Mike Gale.
Gale’s luggage didn’t show up prior to the game, and he didn’t have a backup Spurs jersey of any kind. So, what did Gale wear in the game?
The answer is a Bullets jersey. To try and separate himself from the Bullets players, Gale wore his jersey inside out. This is, to say the least, a bizarre thing to witness as a basketball fan.
The May 8, 1978 issue of Sports Illustrated famously shows Gale wearing the inside-out Bullets jersey in the background of Elvin Hayes slamming home a dunk for the Bullets.
#SICoverOTD: May 8, 1978. Washington Bullets head for their first and only NBA title, and apparently wear different uniforms while doing so pic.twitter.com/R7pbWhi4o6
— SI Vault (@si_vault) May 8, 2017
The Bullets won Game 6 103-100 to win the series. Gale scored 12 points on 6-13 shooting. He also added 9 assists and 3 rebounds in the loss.
Mike Gale sadly passed away on July 31, 2020, at the age of 70. Even though most fans don’t remember him, they should, and not just for the game where he wore an inside-out Bullets jersey.
Gale was one of those solid players the game needs to be successful. His rugged play on both ends of the court helped the NBA grow into the league we know today, and for that, we honor Gale for his contributions to the game of basketball.
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