George McGinnis
(1950-2023)
Hall of Fame Induction: 2017
Card Shown:
2015-16 Panini Luxe
Position: PF/SF
Height: 6’8″
bb
bb
George McGinnis was a former high school football player whose combination of strength, ball-handling, and shooting skill led him to become one of the premier players in basketball during the 1970s. George also finished in the top ten in rebounding six times in his pro career.
McGinnis played in both the ABA and the NBA. He led his ABA Indiana Pacers to two ABA Championships. In his combined ABA and NBA career George averaged 20.2 points, 11.0 rebounds, and 3.7 assists.
Awards and Honors
- George made the ABA All-Rookie Team in his first year of professional basketball. Joining him on that team were Hall of Famers Artis Gilmore and Julius Erving.
- McGinnis helped the Indiana Pacers of the ABA win two consecutive ABA Championships in 1972 and 1973. That team had an imposing frontline of future Hall of Famers: McGinnis, Mel Daniels, and Roger Brown.
- In 1974-75 McGinnis led the ABA in scoring with an average of 29.8 points per game. He finished his ABA career as the fifth leading scorer in ABA history with 25.22 points per game. Rick Barry led all ABA career scorers with 30.46 points per game.
- George was voted the ABA’s co-Most Valuable Player in 1975. He and Julius Erving shared the award after a tie in the voting.
- McGinnis was a six-time All-Star, three times in the ABA (1973, 1974, 1975) and three times in the NBA (1976, 1977, 1979).
Points of Interest
- In 1968-69, McGinnis led his Washington High School team to a 31-0 record that still stands as one of the most impressive seasons in Indiana high school basketball. That year he became the first Indiana high school player to score over 1,000 points in a single season.
- In his sophomore year at Indiana University (freshman were not allowed to play varsity at that time) George had a tremendous year, averaging 29.9 points and 14.7 rebounds per game. He earned All-American and Big Ten honors that year.
- George finished second in the ABA in three-pointers made with 62 in 1974-75. That year he made 35.4% of his three-pointers.
- McGinnis played for the Indiana Pacers, Philadelphia 76ers, and Denver Nuggets during his eleven-year pro basketball career. His number 30 was retired by the Pacers.
- George was the last of the top Indiana Pacers in history to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Reggie Miller and Mel Daniels were inducted in 2012, Roger Brown in 2013, and coach Bobby “Slick” Leonard in 2014. McGinnis had come to accept that he might never be accorded this honor, but that all changed when he was selected for enshrinement in 2017.
Statistics
George McGinnis Statistics
provided by Basketball-Reference.com