George Mikan

George Mikan in 1952, wearing his number 99 jersey.
Position	Center
Height	6 ft 10 in (2. The center, colloquially the five, is one of the standard positions in a regulation Basketball game A foot (plural feet or foot; symbol or abbreviation ft or sometimes &prime – the prime symbol) is a non-SI unit Inches redirects here To see the Les Savy Fav album see Inches. 08 m)
Weight	245 lb (111 kg)
Born	June 18, 1924 (1924-06-18) Joliet, Illinois
Nationality	USA
Died	June 1, 2005 (aged 80) Scottsdale, Arizona
College	DePaul
Pro career	1946–1956
Former teams	Chicago American Gears Minneapolis Lakers
Awards	Seven NBL, BAA and NBA championships 1953 All-Star Game MVP Member of the first four NBA All-Star Teams Member of the first six All-BAA and All-NBA Teams Greatest Player of the First Half-Century (1950) 25th NBA Anniversary Team (1970) 35th NBA Anniversary Team (1980) NBA 50 Greatest Players (1996)
Hall of Fame	1959

George Lawrence Mikan, Jr. The metre or meter is a unit of Length. It is the basic unit of Length in the Metric system and in the International The pound or pound-mass (abbreviation lb, lbm, or sometimes in the United States #) is a unit of Mass Events 618 - Coronation of the Chinese governor Li Yuan as Emperor Gaozu of Tang, the new Emperor of China, initiating three centuries Year 1924 ( MCMXXIV) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Joliet is a city in Will county in the US state of Illinois, located 40 miles southwest of Chicago. The State of Illinois ( roughly ill-i-NOY is a state of the United States of America, the 21st to be admitted to the Union. Events 193 - Roman Emperor Didius Julianus is Assassinated 987 - Hugh Capet is elected Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Scottsdale ( O'odham Vaṣai S-vaṣonĭ; Yaqui Eskatel) is a city in the eastern part of Maricopa County, Arizona, The State of Arizona ( is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. DePaul University is a private institution of Higher education and Research in Chicago, Illinois, U The Chicago American Gears were a National Basketball League team who played from 1944 to 1947. The Los Angeles Lakers franchise has a long and storied history predating the formation of the National Basketball Association (NBA (June 18, 1924 – June 1, 2005), nicknamed Mr. Events 618 - Coronation of the Chinese governor Li Yuan as Emperor Gaozu of Tang, the new Emperor of China, initiating three centuries Year 1924 ( MCMXXIV) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 193 - Roman Emperor Didius Julianus is Assassinated 987 - Hugh Capet is elected Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Basketball, was an American professional basketball player for the Chicago American Gears of the National Basketball League (NBL) and the Minneapolis Lakers of the NBL, the Basketball Association of America (BAA) and the National Basketball Association (NBA). The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Basketball is a team Sport in which two teams of five active players each try to score points against one another by propelling a ball through a 10 feet (3 m The Chicago American Gears were a National Basketball League team who played from 1944 to 1947. The National Basketball League was a professional basketball league in the United States from 1937 to 1949. The Los Angeles Lakers are a National Basketball Association (NBA team based in Los Angeles, California. Invariably playing with thick, round spectacles, the 6 ft 10 in 245 lb. Mikan is seen as one of the pioneers of professional basketball, redefining it as a game of so-called big men with his prolific rebounding, shot blocking and his talent to shoot over smaller defenders with his ambidextrous hook shot, result of his own Mikan Drill. The center, colloquially the five, is one of the standard positions in a regulation Basketball game A rebound in Basketball is the act of successfully gaining possession of the basketball after a missed field goal or Free throw. In Basketball, a block (short for blocked shot) occurs when a defensive player legally deflects a shot from an offensive player Ambidexterity is the state of being equally adept in the use of both right and left Appendages (such as the Hands) A hook shot, in Basketball, is a play in which the offensive player usually turned perpendicular to the basket gently throws the ball with a sweeping motion of his arm The Mikan Drill is a Basketball drill commonly credited to George Mikan and Ray Meyer. ^[1]

Mikan had a successful player career, winning seven NBL, BAA and NBA championships, an All-Star MVP trophy, three scoring titles and being member of the first four NBA All-Star and the first six All-BAA and All-NBA Teams. All-star (also allstar or all star) is a term with meanings in both the worlds of Sports and Mikan was so dominant that he caused several rule changes in the NBA, among them widening the foul lane — known as the "Mikan Rule" — and introducing the shot clock. A shot clock is used in some sports to quicken the pace of the game ^[2]

After his player career, Mikan became one of the founding fathers of the American Basketball Association (ABA), serving as commissioner of that league, and was also vital for the forming of the Minnesota Timberwolves. Founding Fathers are persons instrumental in the establishment of an Institution, usually a political institution especially those connected to the origination of its Ideals The American Basketball Association ( ABA) was a professional Basketball league founded in 1967, and eventually merged in part with the National The Minnesota Timberwolves are a professional Basketball team based in Minneapolis Minnesota, United States. In his later years, Mikan was involved in a long-standing legal battle against the NBA, fighting against the meager pensions for players who had retired before the league became lucrative. A pension is a steady income given to a person upon Retirement, typically in the form of a guaranteed annuity. Mikan died after a long battle against diabetes. Diabetes mellitus (ˌdaɪəˈbiːtiːz or /ˌdaɪəˈbiːtəs/ /məˈlaɪtəs/ or /ˈmɛlətəs/ often referred to simply as diabetes ( Ancient Greek: grc ^[3]

For his feats, Mikan was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1959, made the 25th and 35th NBA Anniversary Teams of 1970 and 1980 and was elected one of the NBA 50 Greatest Players in 1996. The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, located in downtown Springfield Massachusetts, honors players who have shown exceptional skill at Basketball The 50 Greatest Players in National Basketball Association History (also referred to as the NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team or NBA's Top 50) were chosen Since April 2001, a statue of Mikan shooting his trademark hook shot graces the entrance of the Timberwolves' Target Center. The Target Center is an arena in downtown Minneapolis Minnesota, sponsored by Target Corporation that is home to the National Basketball Association ^[2]

Early years

George Mikan was born in Joliet, Illinois to Croatian parents with roots in Vivodina near Karlovac. Joliet is a city in Will county in the US state of Illinois, located 40 miles southwest of Chicago. Croats (Hrvati are a South Slavic people mostly living in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and nearby countries Karlovac (( Slovene: Karlovec, German: Karlstadt or Carlstadt, Hungarian: Károlyváros) is a city and municipality ^[4] As a boy, he shattered his knee so badly that he was kept in bed for a year and a half. In 1938, Mikan attended the Chicago Archbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary and originally wanted to be a priest, but then moved back home to finish at Joliet Catholic. Chicago (ʃɪˈkɑːgoʊ is the largest City by population in the state of Illinois and the American Midwest of the United States. Archbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary was a United States High school administered by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago for young A priest or priestess is a person having the authority or power to administer religious rites in particular rites of sacrifice to and propitiation of a deity or deities ^[5] Mikan did not seem destined to become an athlete. When Mikan entered Chicago's DePaul University in 1942, he stood 6' 10" and weighed 245 pounds, and moved awkwardly because of his frame, and needed thick glasses for his near-sightedness. DePaul University is a private institution of Higher education and Research in Chicago, Illinois, U ^[6]

DePaul University

However, Mikan met 28-year-old rookie DePaul basketball coach Ray Meyer, who saw potential in the bright and intelligent, but also clumsy and shy freshman. Raymond Joseph Meyer ( December 18 1913 &ndash March 17 2006) was an American men's collegiate basketball coach from A freshman, fresher, fish, or frosh is a first-year student in an educational institution Put into perspective, Meyer's thoughts were revolutionary, because back then, common sense dictated that tall players were too awkward to ever play basketball well. ^[5] In the following months, Meyer transformed Mikan into a confident, aggressive player who took pride in his height rather than being ashamed of it. Meyer and Mikan worked out intensively, and Mikan learned how to make hook shots accurately with either hand. This routine would become later known as the Mikan Drill. ^[6] In addition, Meyer made Mikan punch a speed bag, take dancing lessons and jump rope to make him a complete athlete. A punching bag is a sturdy bag designed to be repeatedly punched, for use in Physical exercise or stress relief in order to improve one of three areas A jump rope, skipping rope, or skip rope is the primary tool used in the Game of skipping played by Children and many Young adults ^[3]

From his first National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) college games for DePaul on, Mikan dominated his peers. The National Collegiate Athletic Association ( NCAA, often pronounced "N-C-Double-A" is a voluntary association of about 1200 institutions conferences organizations He intimidated opponents with his size and strength, was unstoppable on offense with his hook shot, and soon established a reputation as one of the hardest and grittiest players in the league, often playing through injury and punishing opposing centers with hard fouls. ^[5] In addition, Mikan also stunned the basketball world by his unique ability of goaltending, i. For the article about goaltending in Ice hockey, see Goaltender. e. jumping so high that he swatted the ball away before it could pass the hoop. In today's basketball, touching the ball after it reaches its apogee is forbidden, but in Mikan's time it was legal because people thought it was impossible anyone could reach that far up high. In Celestial mechanics, an apsis, plural apsides (ˈæpsɨdɪːz is the point of greatest or least distance of the Elliptical orbit of an object from "We would set up a zone defense that had four men around the key and I guarded the basket," Mikan later recalled his DePaul days. Zone defense is a type of defense used in Sports which is the alternative to Man-to-man defense; instead of each player guarding a corresponding player on the "When the other team took a shot, I'd just go up and tap it out. " As a consequence, the NCAA and later the NBA outlawed goaltending. ^[1]

Mikan was named NCAA College Player of the Year twice in 1945 and 1946 and an All-American three times, leading DePaul to the NIT title in 1945. An All-American "team" is an honorary Sports team composed of outstanding Amateur players those considered the best players of a specific season for The National Invitation Tournament (NIT is a men's college Basketball tournament operated by the National Collegiate Athletic Association. Mikan led the nation in scoring with 23. 9 points per game in 1944–45 and 23. Points per game, often abbreviated PPG, is the Average number of points scored by a player per game played in a sport over the course of a series of games a whole 1 in 1945–46. When DePaul won the 1945 National Invitation Tournament, Mikan was named Most Valuable Player for scoring 120 points in three games, including 53 points in a 97–53 win over Rhode Island, outscoring the entire Rhode Island team. The University of Rhode Island, commonly abbreviated as URI, is the principal public research university in the State of Rhode Island, with its main campus in ^[6]

Professional player career

NBL Chicago American Gears (1946–47)

After the end of the 1945–46 college season, Mikan signed with the Chicago American Gears of the National Basketball League, a predecessor of the modern NBA. He played with them for seven games at the end of the 1946 NBL season, scoring an impressive 16. 5 points per game in his rookie games. Mikan led the Gears to the championship of the World Basketball Tournament. In the WBT, Mikan was elected Most Valuable Player after scoring 100 points in five games, and also voted into the All-NBL Team. ^[1][6]

However, before the start of the 1947–48 NBL season Maurice White, the president of the American Gear Company and the owner of the American Gears NBL team, pulled the team out of the league. Maurice White (born December 19, 1941) is an American soul, funk, and R&B Singer, Songwriter White planned to create a 24-league team called the Professional Basketball League of America, in which he owned all the teams and arenas. The Professional Basketball League of America (1947-1948 was a Basketball league in the United States that was started in 1947 in response to the tremendous However, the PBLA folded after just a month, and the players of White's teams were equally distributed among the 11 remaining NBL franchises. Professional Sports leagues are organized in numerous As a consequence, every team had a 9. 09% chance of landing the basketball prodigy Mikan. With a stroke of good luck, the Minneapolis Lakers landed him. ^[1]

NBL and BAA Minneapolis Lakers (1947–49)

In the 1947–48 NBL season, Mikan donned his trademark number 99 Minneapolis Lakers jersey for the first time and joined high-flying Jim "The Kangaroo Kid" Pollard and fellow wing man Vern Mikkelsen to form one of the first great frontlines of professional basketball. James Clifford "Jim" Pollard ( July 9, 1922 &ndash January 22, 1993) was an American professional Basketball player Arild Verner Agerskov "Vern" Mikkelsen (born October 21 1928) is an American former professional Basketball player Under the tutelage of coach John Kundla, Mikan averaged 21. John Albert Kundla (born July 3 1916 is a former professional and college Basketball coach 3 points per game in the regular season. The Lakers' Minneapolis Auditorium also favorably influenced Mikan's game, as it was several feet narrower than other courts and therefore even better suited for so-called big men. Minneapolis Auditorium was an indoor Arena in Minneapolis Minnesota. ^[7] Powered by his strong play, the Lakers dominated the Western Division. They charged through the playoffs and defeated the Rochester Royals 3–1 in the 1948 NBL Finals. The Sacramento Kings are a professional Basketball team based in Sacramento California. In that series, Mikan averaged 27. 5 points per game. ^[1]

Before the 1948–49 NBL season started, the Minneapolis Lakers, Rochester Royals, Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons and the Indianapolis Kautskys defected to the rival league BAA. The Sacramento Kings are a professional Basketball team based in Sacramento California. The Detroit Pistons are a team in the National Basketball Association based in the Detroit metropolitan area The Indianapolis Jets were a National Basketball Association team based in Indianapolis Indiana. The advantage of the BAA was it housed big-city franchises like the New York Knicks, the Boston Celtics, the Philadelphia Warriors and the Chicago Stags, making it lucrative. The Boston Celtics are an American professional Basketball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, playing in the Atlantic Division of the The Golden State Warriors are an American professional Basketball team based in Oakland, California. The Chicago Stags were a National Basketball Association team based in Chicago, Illinois, U After adding the four NBL teams, the BAA now had Mikan, Pollard, Mikkelsen and several other crowd-pulling players. ^[1]

In the 1948–49 BAA season, Mikan scored 28. 3 points per game accompanied by 3. 6 assists per game,^[8] scoring one-third of the Lakers point total and winning the scoring title by a fair margin; apart from Mikan, only Philadelphia's Joe Fulks, who became one of the co-inventors of the jump shot, and Chicago Stags player Max Zaslofsky managed to average 20+ points. In Basketball, an assist is attributed to a player who passes the ball to a teammate in a way that leads to a score by field goal, meaning that he or she was "assisting" Joseph Franklin "Jumping Joe" Fulks (October 26 1921 - March 21 1976 was a United States Basketball player sometimes called "the first of the high-scoring See also Basketball moves In Basketball (and derivatives like Netball) a jump shot is an attempt to score a basket by jumping usually straight Max "Slats" Zaslofsky (born December 7, 1925 in Brooklyn New York, died October 15, 1985 in New Hyde Park New York ^[1][9]

On December 14, 1949, the Lakers visited Madison Square Garden to play against the New York Knicks. Events 1287 - St Lucia's flood: The Zuider Zee sea wall in the Netherlands collapses killing over 50000 people Year 1949 ( MCMXLIX) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG, and known colloquially as The Garden, has been the name of four Arenas in New York City. On that day, the marquee of the Garden advertised the game with [sic] "WED BASKETBALL GEO MIKAN V/S KNICKS". So when Mikan walked into the locker room before the game, he was surprised to see his teammates still sitting in their street clothes, joking: "They're advertising you're playing against the Knicks, so go play them. We'll wait here. " This would become one of the most popular Mikan anecdotes. ^[1]

The Lakers stormed all the way to the 1949 BAA Finals, where Mikan's team played against the Washington Capitols, coached by Red Auerbach. The Washington Capitols were a charter Basketball Association of America (forerunner of the National Basketball Association) team based in Washington D Arnold Jacob "Red" Auerbach (September 20 1917 &ndash October 28 2006 was a Basketball coach of the Washington Capitols, the Tri-Cities Blackhawks The Lakers quickly took a 3–0 edge, but then, Mikan broke his wrist in Game 4. The Capitols escaped with the win, and also won Game 5, despite Mikan scoring 22 points with his hand in a cast. However, in Game 6, the Lakers convincingly won 77–56 and won the BAA championship. In that playoffs series, Mikan averaged 30. 3 points per game, despite playing half the series with a broken hand. ^[1]

NBA Minneapolis Lakers (1949–56)

After that season, the BAA and NBL merged to form the NBA. The new league started the inaugural 1949-50 NBA season with 17 teams, with the Lakers in the Central Division. The 1949–50 NBA season was officially the 4th season of the National Basketball Association. The Central Division is a division in the Eastern Conference of the NBA. Mikan again was dominant, averaging 27. 4 points per game and 2. 9 assists per game and taking another scoring title;^[8] only Alex Groza of Indianapolis also broke the 20-point-barrier that year. Alexander John Groza ( October 7, 1926 &ndash January 21, 1995) was an American Basketball player who was banned from the NBA ^[1] After comfortably leading his team to an impressive 51–17 record and storming through the playoffs, Mikan's team played the 1950 NBA Finals against the Syracuse Nationals. The 1950 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association 's 1949-1950 season. Series summary Team rosters See also The Syracuse Nationals were an American professional Basketball team that was part of the National Basketball League (NBL and National Basketball In Game 1, the Lakers beat Syracuse on their home court when Lakers reserve guard Bob Harrison hit a 40-foot buzzer beater to give Minneapolis a two-point win. The three basketball positions normally employed by organized Basketball teams are guard forward and center For the football player see Bob Harrison (football player. For the Motorcycle speedway rider see Bob Harrison (speedway rider is a Manga series by Takehiko Inoue. The series debuted on the web and was later published in print format by Shueisha, being serialized in its The team split the next four games, and in Game 6, the Lakers won 110–95 and won the first-ever NBA championship. Mikan scored a stellar 31. 3 points per game in the playoffs. ^[1]

In the 1950-51 NBA season, Mikan was dominant again, scoring a career-best 28. The 1950–51 NBA season was the 5th season of the National Basketball Association. 4 points per game in the regular season, again taking the scoring crown, and had 3. 1 assists per game. ^[8] In that year, the NBA introduced a new statistic, namely rebounds. In this category, the 6-foot-10 Mikan also stood out, his 14. 1 rebounds per game (rpg) only second to the 16. Rebound is a term used in Sports to describe the ball (or puck or other object of play becoming available for possession by either opponent after an attempt to put 4 rpg of Dolph Schayes of Syracuse. ^[8]

In that year, Mikan participated in one of the most notorious NBA games ever played. When the Fort Wayne Pistons played against his Lakers, the Pistons took a 19–18 lead. The Detroit Pistons are a team in the National Basketball Association based in the Detroit metropolitan area Afraid that Mikan would mount a comeback if he got the ball, the Pistons passed the ball around without any attempt to score a basket. ^[10] With no shot clock invented yet to force them into offense, the score stayed 19–18 to make it the lowest-scoring NBA game of all time. Mikan was thus indirectly responsible for the shot clock that came four years later. As a side note, Mikan scored 15 of the Lakers' 18 points, thus scoring 83. 3% of his team's points, setting an NBA all-time record which will probably never be broken. ^[10]

However, in the post season, Mikan fractured his leg, making the 1951 Western Division Finals against the Rochester Royals a painful and lastly futile affair. With Mikan hardly able to move all series long, the Royals won 3–1. Decades later, in 1990, Mikan recalled his leg was taped with a plate, and despite basically hopping around court on one foot, he said he still averaged 20-odd points per game. ^[1]

In the 1951-52 NBA season, the NBA decided to widen the foul lane under the basket from 6 feet to 12 feet. The 1951–52 NBA season was the 6th season of the National Basketball Association. As players could only stay in the lane for three seconds at a time, it forced big men like Mikan to play post from double the distance now. ^[1] A main proponent of this rule was New York Knicks coach Joe Lapchick, who regarded Mikan as his nemesis, and it was dubbed "The Mikan Rule". Joseph Bohomiel Lapchick (b April 12, 1900 in Yonkers New York &ndash d ^[7] While Mikan still scored an impressive 23. 8 points per game, it was a far cry of his 27. 4 points per game the previous season, and his field goal percentage sank from . Field goal percentage in Basketball is the ratio of field goals made to field goals attempted. 428 to . 385. Still, he pulled down 13. 5 rebounds per game, asserting himself as a top rebounder, and logged 3. 0 assists per game. ^[8] Mikan also had a truly dominating game that season, in which he scored a personal-best 61 points in a double overtime victory against the Rochester Royals. At the time, it was the second-best performance in league history (to Joe Fulks' 63 point outburst in 1949), and Mikan's output more than doubled that of his teammates, whose output that game totaled 30 points. In the 1952 NBA All-Star Game, Mikan had a strong performance with 26 points and 15 rebounds in a West loss. The National Basketball Association staged its first All-Star Game in the Boston Garden on March 2, 1951.

Later that season, the Lakers charged into the 1952 NBA Finals and were pitted against the New York Knicks. Series Summary Team rosters See also This qualified as one of the strangest Finals series in NBA history, as neither team could play on their home court in the first six games. The Lakers' Minneapolis Auditorium was already booked, and the Knicks' Madison Square Garden was occupied by the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey Circus was started when the Circus created by James Anthony Bailey and P Instead, the Lakers played in St. Paul and the Knicks in the damp, dimly lit 69th Regiment Armoury. Saint Paul ( abbreviated St Paul) is the capital and second most populous city in the U Perpetually double-teamed by Knicks' Nat Clifton and Harry Gallatin, Mikan had a hard time asserting himself, and it was more Vern Mikkelsen's credit that the first six games were split. A double team in Basketball is defending one offensive player with two defensive players Nathaniel "Sweetwater" Clifton ( October 13, 1922 &ndash August 31, 1990) was an American multi-sport athlete best known Harry J Gallatin (born April 26, 1927 in Roxana, Illinois) is an American former professional Basketball player In the only true home game, Game 7 in the Auditorium, the Lakers won 82–65 and edged the Knicks 4–3, winning the NBA title and earning themselves $7,500 to split among the team. ^[7]

In the next year, the 1952-53 NBA season, Mikan averaged 20. The 1952–53 NBA Season was the 7th season of the National Basketball Association. 6 points and a career-high 14. 4 rebounds per game, the highest in the league, as well as 2. 9 assists per game. ^[8] In the 1953 NBA All-Star Game, Mikan was dominant again with 22 points and 16 rebounds, winning that game's MVP Award. The Lakers made the 1953 NBA Finals, and again defeated the Knicks with 4–1. Series Summary Team rosters See also ^[1]

In the 1953-54 NBA season, the now 29-year-old Mikan slowly declined, averaging 18. The 1953–54 NBA season was the 8th season of the National Basketball Association. 1 points, 14. 3 rebounds and 2. 4 assists per game. ^[8] Under his leadership, the Lakers won another NBA title in the 1954 NBA Finals, making it their third championship en bloc and the fifth in six years; the only time they lost had been when Mikan fractured his leg. Series Summary Team rosters See also From an NBA perspective, the Minneapolis Lakers dynasty has only been convincingly surpassed by the great eleven-title Boston Celtics dynasty of 1957-69. ^[1]

After the season, Mikan stunned the sports world when he announced his retirement. He said: "I had a family growing, and I decided to be with them. I felt it was time to get started with the professional world outside of basketball. " Injuries also were a factor, as Mikan had sustained 10 broken bones and 16 stitches in his career, and often had played through these injuries. ^[1] Without Mikan, the Lakers made the playoffs, but were unable to reach the 1955 NBA Finals. The 1955 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association 's 1954-1955 season. The 1955 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 1954-55 NBA season.

In the middle of the 1955-56 NBA season, Mikan surprised the basketball world by returning to the Lakers lineup. The 1955–56 NBA season was the 10th season of the National Basketball Association. He played in 37 games, but however, his long absence had taken its toll. He averaged only 10. 5 points, 8. 3 rebounds and 1. 3 assists,^[8] and the Lakers lost in the first playoff round. The 1956 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association 's 1955-1956 season. This prompted Mikan to retire for good. Mikan was inducted into the inaugural Basketball Hall of Fame class of 1959 and was declared the greatest player of the first half of the century by the The Associated Press. The Associated Press ( AP) is an American News agency. The AP is a Cooperative owned by its contributing Newspapers radio ^[1]

Post-playing career

In 1956 Mikan was the Republican candidate for the United States Congress in Minnesota's 3rd congressional district. The United States Congress is the bicameral Legislature of the federal government of the United States of America, consisting of two houses He challenged incumbent Representative Roy Wier in a closely fought race that featured a high voter turnout. Roy William Wier ( February 25, 1888 &ndash June 27, 1963) was a U Despite the strong coat tails of incumbent President Dwight Eisenhower's reelection, the young, inexperienced Mikan lost by a close margin of 52% to 48%. Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (October 14 1890 – March 28 1969 was President of the United States from 1953 until 1961 and a five-star general Wier received 127,356 votes to Mikan's 117,716. Despite feeling no bitterness about his loss, Mikan felt betrayed, because he had hoped of an influx of work after returning to his law office. For six months, Mikan did not get any assignment at all, leaving him financially strapped and forcing him to cash in on his life insurance. ^[11]

Things also went awry in Mikan's professional sports career. In the 1957-58 NBA season, Lakers coach John Kundla became general manager and persuaded Mikan to become coach of the Lakers. The 1957–58 NBA Season was the 12th season of the National Basketball Association. General Manager or GM for short is a descriptive term for certain executives in a Business operation However, this was a disastrous move, as the Lakers blundered to a terrible 9–30 record until Mikan stepped down and returned coaching duties to Kundla. The Lakers ended with an appalling 19–53 to record one of the worst seasons in their history. ^[1] After these two flops, Mikan then concentrated on his law career, raising his large family of six children, successfully specializing in corporate and real estate law, and buying and renovating buildings in Minneapolis. Corporate law (also "company" or "corporations" law is the Law of the most dominant kind of business enterprise in the modern world Real estate is a legal term (in some jurisdictions notably in the USA, United Kingdom ^[1]

In 1967, Mikan returned to professional basketball, becoming the first commissioner of the American Basketball Association, a rival league to the NBA. Commissioner is a designation that may be used for a variety of official positions especially referring to a high-ranked public (administrative or Police) official or an analogous In order to lure basketball fans to his league, Mikan invented the three-point line and the characteristic red-white-and-blue ABA ball, which he thought more patriotic, better suited for TV, and more crowd-pleasing than the brown NBA ball. A three-point field goal (also known as three-pointer, three-point shot, trey, or simply three) is a field goal in a Basketball ^[1] Retiring from the ABA in 1969, he disappeared from the public eye but headed a task force with the goal to bring professional basketball to Minneapolis, decades after the Lakers had moved to Los Angeles to become the Los Angeles Lakers and after the ABA's Minnesota Muskies and Minnesota Pipers had departed. Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West The Los Angeles Lakers are a National Basketball Association (NBA team based in Los Angeles, California. The Minnesota Muskies were a charter member of the American Basketball Association, born with the league's creation on February 2, 1967. Minnesota Pipers were a member of the American Basketball Association for one season 1968-1969 In the end, his bid was successful, leading to the inception of a new franchise in the 1989-90 NBA season, the Minnesota Timberwolves. The 1989–90 NBA season was the 44th season of the National Basketball Association. ^[1] In his late years, Mikan fought with diabetes and failing kidneys, and eventually, his illness caused his right leg to be amputated below the knee. Diabetes mellitus type 2 or Type 2 Diabetes (formerly called non - Insulin -dependent Diabetes mellitus (NIDDM or adult-onset diabetes is a metabolic When the insurance was cut off, Mikan soon battled severe financial trouble. ^[5] He fought a long and protracted legal battle against the NBA and the NBA Player's Union, protesting the low $1,700/month pensions for players who had retired before 1965, the so-called "big money era". According to Mel Davis of the National Basketball Retired Players Union, this battle kept him going, because Mikan hoped to be alive when a new collective bargaining agreement would finally vindicate his generation. Collective bargaining is the process whereby workers organize together to meet converse and compromise upon the work environment with their employers In 2005, however, his condition declined. ^[3][10]

Legacy

Mikan is lauded as the pioneer of Modern Age basketball. He was the original center, who scored 11,764 points, an average of 22. 6 per game, retired as the all-time leading scorer and averaged 13. 4 rebounds and 2. 8 assists in 520 NBL, BAA and NBA games. As a testament to his fierce nature, he also led the league three times in personal fouls. ^[2][6] He won seven BAA and NBA championships, an All-Star MVP trophy, three scoring titles and being member of the first four NBA All-Star and the first six All-BAA and All-NBA Teams. The All-NBA Team is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA honor bestowed on the best players in the league following every NBA season As well as being declared the greatest player of the first half of the century by the The Associated Press, Mikan was on the Helms Athletic Foundation all-time All-American team, chosen in a 1952 poll, was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1959, made the 25th and 35th NBA Anniversary Teams of 1970 and 1980 and was elected one of the NBA 50 Greatest Players in 1996. The Helms Athletic Foundation was an athletic foundation based in Los Angeles, founded in 1936 by Bill Schroeder and Paul Helms The 50 Greatest Players in National Basketball Association History (also referred to as the NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team or NBA's Top 50) were chosen ^[1][2][6] Mikan's impact on the game is also reflected in the Mikan Drill, today a staple exercise of "big men" in basketball.

In addition, when superstar center Shaquille O'Neal became a member of the Los Angeles Lakers, Sports Illustrated graced its November 1996 issue with Mikan, O'Neal and fellow Lakers legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, calling Abdul-Jabbar and Mikan "Lakers legends" to which O'Neal was compared, establishing Mikan as one of the greatest Lakers players of all time. Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal (born March 6 1972 frequently referred to simply as " Shaq " is an African American Professional basketball Sports Illustrated is an American Sports Magazine owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (born Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor Jr; April 16 1947 is an American athlete and retired professional Basketball player widely considered Furthermore, since April 2001, a statue of Mikan shooting his trademark hook shot graces the entrance of the Minnesota Timberwolves Target Center. ^[2] In addition, a banner in the Staples Center commemorates Mikan and his fellow Minneapolis Lakers. Staples Center is a multi-purpose sports Arena in Downtown Los Angeles California adjacent to the L

Rule changes

Mikan became so dominant that the NBA had to change its rules of play in order to reduce his influence such as widening the lane from six to twelve feet ("The Mikan Rule"). He also played a role in the introduction of the shot clock, and in the NCAA his dominating play around the basket led to the outlawing of defensive goaltending. Mikan set the stage for the Modern Age of the NBA dominated by tall, powerful players. ^[1][2]

As an official, Mikan is also directly responsible for the ABA three-point line, which was later adapted by the NBA, the multi-colored ABA ball, which still lives on as the "money ball" in the NBA All-Star Three Point Shootout,^[12] and the existence of the Minnesota Timberwolves. ^[1]

Personal life

In 1947, he married his girlfriend Patricia, who remained his wife the next 58 years until he died. Mikan fathered six children, sons Larry (George Lawrence Mikan III), Terry, Patrick and Michael and daughters Trisha and Maureen. ^[10] All his life, Mikan was universally seen as the prototypical "gentle giant", tough and relentless on the court, but friendly and amicable in private life. ^[10]

In his later years, Mikan developed severe diabetes and kidney problems, which grew so serious that his right leg had to be amputated below the knee. Amputation is the removal of a body extremity by trauma or Surgery. To pay the costs of his medical expenses, he was forced to sell most of his trophies and memorabilia. His NBA pension was $1,700 per month. In 2005, he developed complications when a wound did not heal properly anymore, and his condition deteriorated. ^[3]

Death

Mikan died in Scottsdale, Arizona on June 1, 2005, of complications from diabetes and other ailments. Scottsdale ( O'odham Vaṣai S-vaṣonĭ; Yaqui Eskatel) is a city in the eastern part of Maricopa County, Arizona, Events 193 - Roman Emperor Didius Julianus is Assassinated 987 - Hugh Capet is elected Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. His son Terry reported that his father had undergone dialysis three times a week for hours a day for the last five years. In Medicine, dialysis (from Greek "dialusis" meaning dissolution "dia" meaning through and "lusis" meaning loosening is primarily ^[10][3]

Mikan's death was widely mourned by the basketball world,^[3] and also brought media attention to the financial struggles of several early-era NBA players. Many commentators felt that the current players of the big-money generation should rally for larger pensions for the pre-1965 predecessors in upcoming labor negotiations. ^[13] However, center Shaquille O'Neal offered to pay for Mikan's funeral. He said: "Without number 99 [Mikan], there is no me. "^[13] Before Game 5 of the 2005 Eastern Conference Finals between the Heat and the Detroit Pistons, there was a minute of silence to honor Mikan. The 2005 NBA Playoffs were the postseason of the National Basketball Association 's 2004-05 season. The Detroit Pistons are a team in the National Basketball Association based in the Detroit metropolitan area Bob Cousy remarked that Mikan literally carried the NBA in the early days and single-handedly made the league credible and popular. Robert Joseph "Bob" Cousy (born August 9 1928 in New York City) is a former French - American professional Basketball player ^[3]

See also

• List of Croatian Americans
• List of individual National Basketball Association scoring leaders by season
• List of National Basketball Association players with 60 or more points in a game
• List of National Basketball Association players with most championship rings

References

External links

• nba.com entry on George Mikan
• NBA Hall of Fame entry of George Mikan
• George Mikan's statistics at database=basketball.com
• George Mikan Lakersplayers.org
• George Mikan, mikan drill
• Photos

Further reading

• Heisler, Mark (2003). Giants: The 25 Greatest Centers of All Time. Chicago: Triumph Books. ISBN 1-57243-577-1.