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George Lawrence Mikan, Jr. (June 18, 1924 – June 1, 2005) was an American professional basketball player who is regarded as having been the first superstar in the National Basketball Association. Standing at 6 feet, 10 inches (2.08 m), he is also regarded as the first dominant "big man" in basketball history.
[edit] Early career
Mikan was born in Joliet, Illinois to Croatian parents, and played college basketball at DePaul University from 1941 to 1946 under coach Ray Meyer. He led the nation in scoring and was named National Player of the Year in 1946.
Mikan began playing professional basketball with the Chicago American Gears of the National Basketball League, leading them to the NBL title in 1947. After the 1946-47 season, the Gears' owner formed the Professional Basketball League of America, with the Gears as the flagship franchise. However, that league never got off the drawing board, and Mikan was selected by the Minneapolis Lakers in a dispersal draft. The Lakers joined the Basketball Association of America one year later in 1948. The BAA became the NBA in 1949. He was by far the biggest star of the league, so much so that a Lakers game at Madison Square Garden, New York City was billed as "George Mikan vs. Knicks".
Mikan was one of the most dominant players in the early years of the NBA, and rules were changed in an attempt to handcuff him. When he played college ball at DePaul the goaltending rule was instituted because of Mikan, and the NBA doubled the width of the free throw lane partially to accommodate his unprecedented size. Because of the slowdown tactics used against him, which resulted in the lowest-scoring game in league history (his Lakers lost in 1950 by the score of 19-18 to the Fort Wayne Pistons), the NBA instituted the 24-second shot clock four years later.
[edit] Career summary
Mikan led the league in scoring six times (1946-1952), including a career-high 28.4 ppg in 1951. He led the league in rebounding in 1953 (1,007, 14.4 rpg) and in rebounding average (1952, 13.5 rpg). Annually, he was one of the league leaders in free throw attempts (4,597 for his career). Mikan scored 11,764 points (22.6 ppg) in nine professional seasons, which was the most in league history when he retired.
Mikan and the Lakers won 6 league championships (one NBL, one BAA and four NBA) during his playing days. Mikan always wore his trademark round-rimmed eyeglasses while playing; as a result, he was sometimes nicknamed the "Harold Lloyd of basketball". He retired after the 1953-1954 season, but returned briefly in the 1955-1956 season.
Mikan played in the NBA's first four All-Star Games (starting in 1951), winning the game's MVP award in 1953. The NBA did not have a regular-season MVP award until the 1955-56 season (the year after Mikan's first retirement), but he did win the NBL's Most Valuable Player Award in 1948 and was voted the greatest player of the first half-century by the Associated Press in 1950. Mikan was named to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in its inaugural year (1959) and was named one of the league's 50 greatest players in 1996.
[edit] Still-standing NBA record
As a testament to his dominance as a player, Mikan still owns the following NBA record: the highest percentage of a team's points in a single game. In the lowest-scoring game in league history (1950), George Mikan scored 15 of the Lakers' 18 points — a percentage of 83.3. Mikan also owns the second highest percentage of a team's points in a game with 67.0 percent, when he scored 61 of the Lakers' 91 points in a 1952 game against Rochester. The next highest scoring percentage of any NBA player is Kobe Bryant's 66.4, achieved when he scored 81 of his team's 122 points in a game played in 2006.
[edit] Retirement
In 1956, Mikan was the Republican candidate for the 3rd congressional district of Minnesota, but lost to incumbent Democrat Congressman Roy Wier by a vote of 127,356 (51.97%) to 117,716 (48.03%).
Mikan briefly coached the Lakers in 1958. In later years, Mikan was the first commissioner of the first American Basketball Association, where he introduced both the 3-point line and the league's trademark red, white and blue basketball.
Later, Mikan worked in real estate and owned a travel agency, both in Minneapolis.
Mikan suffered from diabetes, which resulted in his right leg being amputated below the knee in March 2000. The Minnesota Timberwolves honored Mikan by placing a statue of him in the lobby of the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota the next year. Despite the differences in the play and rules of NBA basketball over the years, analysts believe that Mikan would have been a star in any era. NBA big men who came after him—including Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kevin Garnett, Tim Duncan, and Shaquille O'Neal (who paid for Mikan's funeral)—owe much of their playing style to him. This is especially evident in the common basketball drill called the Mikan Drill.
Mikan died in Scottsdale, Arizona, at age 80 on June 1, 2005, of complications from diabetes and other ailments. As noted, his family accepted an offer from Shaquille O'Neal to pay for the former Laker legend's funeral. His death brought media attention to the plight of several early-era NBA players. Although the league's star players now make millions of dollars annually and even the league's minimum pay is several times the annual income of most Americans, Mikan's pension from the NBA, even though he was classified as one of its all-time greatest players, was only about $1400/month, less than the cost of the assisted living facility he was inhabiting at the time of his death. Many commentators, especially those associated with ESPN Radio, felt that current players should in the league's upcoming labor negotiations demand an increase in pensions for former players, especially for those whose playing career predated the "big money" era.
[edit] See also
- List of National Basketball Association players with 60 or more points in a game
[edit] External links
[edit] Further reading
- Heisler, Mark (2003). Giants: The 25 Greatest Centers of All Time. Chicago: Triumph Books. ISBN 1572435771.
Carlson | Ferrin | Grant | Harrison | Hassett | Jaros | Martin | Mikan | Mikkelsen | Pollard | Schaefer | Coach Kundla
United States