23.1 PPG, 2.8 APG, 9.5 RPG, 40 FG%, 78 FT%.
“It’s hard to believe today, but until the 1940s basketball was considered a sport better suited to shorter men than to taller, less nimble players. George Mikan, a 6-10 giant of a man who possessed superior coordination and a fierce competitive spirit, was one of the prototypes for the dominating tall players of later decades. Towering over most of his competitors, he was one of the most effective scorers of his day, averaging 22.6 points over a professional career that lasted nine years — one with the Chicago American Gears and eight with the Minneapolis Lakers.
Mikan was so hard to defend and to score against, in fact, that the NBA had to change its rules of play in order to keep him from completely overwhelming the league. Few players have had such a huge impact on the game. In 1950 Mikan was voted the greatest player of the first half of the century by The Associated Press.
In his nine professional seasons — two in the National Basketball League, one in the Basketball Association of America, and six in the NBA-Mikan’s teams won seven championships. He was the cornerstone of the NBA’s first dynasty, the Minneapolis Lakers of the early 1950s. Mikan led the NBA in scoring three times and in rebounding average twice and he played in the league’s first four All-Star Games. ” [Read]
Photo by NBAE/Getty Images
Sources: NBA.com, YouTube, Basketball-reference.com
June 19th, 2008 at 7:48 am
Thank you, thank you, thank you!! I’m reading Cages to Jumpshots; the early years of basketball are not talked about often enough. Did I mention thank you?
June 19th, 2008 at 8:56 am
Carolyn,
You’re welcome. I’m glad you enjoyed the profile. I started profiling legends during the NBA Finals and I think I’ll continue the trend. People seem to enjoy the blasts from the past.