About Jim Ligon
Lived 1944 – 2004 (aged 60). Jim Ligon was an American basketball player.
James Thomas "Goose" Ligon (February 22, 1944 – April 17, 2004 ) was an American professional basketball player.
A 6'7" forward/center, Ligon starred at Kokomo High School in Indiana but never played in college due to legal issues. He played for the Harlem Magicians during the 1962–63 season and then spent the next three years imprisoned in the Indiana Reformatory after being convicted of "assault and battery with intent to gratify sexual desires."
In 1967, he earned a spot with the Kentucky Colonels of the American Basketball Association and went on to have a seven-year ABA career with the Colonels, Pittsburgh Condors, and Virginia Squires. Ligon averaged 12.8 points per game and 10.9 rebounds per game in his ABA career and appeared in the 1969 ABA All-Star Game.
A ruptured Achilles tendon in the 1973–74 season ended Ligon's career. He worked 11 years with the Transit Authority of River City but was plagued by a cocaine addiction that went on for years. By 1997, it was reported that he was suffering from glaucoma. He died in 2004 at the age of 60.
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Important facts
People in Jim Ligon's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Jim Ligon's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Jim Ligon?
American basketball player (1944–2004)
When was Jim Ligon born?
Jim Ligon was born on 22 February 1944 in Kokomo.
When did Jim Ligon die?
Jim Ligon died on 17 April 2004 in Louisville.
What was Jim Ligon's occupation?
Jim Ligon was a basketball player.
What nationality was Jim Ligon?
Jim Ligon was American.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Jim Ligon. https://biography.guide/jim-ligon/
MLA: "Jim Ligon." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/jim-ligon/.
Chicago: "Jim Ligon." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/jim-ligon/.
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