George Mikan
(1924-2005)
Hall of Fame Induction:1959
Card Shown:
2003-04 Upper Deck Legends Legendary Signatures
Position: C
Height: 6’10”
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George was known as Mr. Basketball. He stood 6’10” tall and was the first superstar and truly dominant center in professional basketball. Mikan’s powerful play led to several rule changes including the introduction of the goaltending rule and the widening of the lane to make it more difficult for George to score.
On November 22, 1950 the Fort Wayne Pistons tried to keep the ball away from Mikan. Their strategy resulted in a 19-18 Pistons win in the lowest scoring game in NBA history. Only a few years later, in 1954, the NBA instituted the 24-second shot clock to speed up the game and increase the appeal of the game to its fans. In that game Mikan scored 15 of their 18 points. The Lakers led 17-16 entering the 4th quarter but lost the game on a last second shot by Larry Foust.
Awards and Honors
- Mikan was a 4-time NBA Champion with the Minneapolis Lakers (1950, 1952, 1953, 1954)
- George was chosen one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA history (1996)
- Mikan was a member of the first four NBA All-Star teams and named All-Star MVP in 1953
- George was named the best basketball player of the first half of the 20th century by the Associated Press, beating out Hank Luisetti who finished second.
- In 1956 Mikan retired as the NBA all-time leading scorer with 10,156 points.
Points of Interest
- George’s Minneapolis Lakers team included future Hall of Famers Slater Martin, Jim Pollard, and Vern Mikkelsen.
- George caused the NCAA to institute the no goaltending rule in 1944 because he swatted away so many of his opponents shots while in college at DePaul.
- In 1951 the NBA widened the lane from 6 feet to 12 feet to make it harder for Mikan to dominate the game. This became known as “the Mikan rule.”
- One of George’s favorite shots was the hook shot, which he could shoot with either hand.
- George was the first commissioner of the ABA and came up with the idea for the red, white, and blue ball.
Statistics
George Mikan Statistics
provided by Basketball-Reference.com