He was afraid of me, because he didn't know who I was. Jackson took an apparent shot at the defensive coaching of … Starting with the George Mikan-led Minneapolis Lakers (1952-54) to Bill Russell’s legendary Boston Celtics that won eight consecutive titles … I hope you all know who George Mikan is. Mikan's only early sports interest was the game of marbles, in which he won a countywide marble-shooting championship. height—which eventually topped at six feet, ten inches— was accompanied by very brittle bones, a problem that would plague him throughout his basketball career. Many fans came just to see this giant of a man play. Mikan expressed one regret about the direction of the game: that it lacked the teamwork passing of earlier days, when "going upcourt, the ball wouldn't hit the floor.". (NBA Photos / Getty Images) ... Los Angeles went 16-7 in the playoffs to win the 2009 NBA championship. George Mikan: Free throw lanes widened. The smooth George Gervin of the San Antonio Spurs won the title in 1978-79-80. DePaul University then was little known in the world of basketball. He and his brothers, Ed and Joe, had played some basketball in the backyard of the family … Mikan's presence in basketball did more than stimulate attendance. George Mikan (born 1924) has been described by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as" the first dominant big man in professional basketball and the game's first superstar." It broke my heart." He decided to become a priest, but then began to play again once his leg healed. The strategy with the oddest outcome was one the Fort Wayne Pistons tried during a game in 1950. Position: Guard-forward. In the interim, Russell won an Olympic gold medal … NBA Championships. He also won two state championships in high school. All this man did was win. When Mikan was offered this job, he thought that Minnesota was too far from his home base in Chicago. During his rookie season, Mikan scored an average of 16.5 points per game and helped the Gears win their league's championship. Career: 2002-18 (16 seasons) Teams: San Antonio Spurs. Muhammad Ali claimed the World Boxing Association's heavyweight title three times. (He also won two NBL championships with the Chicago American Gears in 1948-1949.) By winning the 1956 NCAA Championship with USF and the 1957 NBA title with the Celtics, Russell became the first of only four players in basketball history to win an NCAA championship and an NBA Championship back-to-back (the others being Henry Bibby, Magic Johnson, and Billy Thompson). Only twice did the C's manage to finish with at least 60 wins, topping out with a 62-18 record during the 1964-65 season. NBA Championships Details: 1948-49 with Minneapolis Lakers. List of AAU men's basketball champions. 1952-53 with Minneapolis Lakers. 1. 1953-54 with Minneapolis Lakers. 3. George Mikan. I know what he did. It also influenced rule changes. With the disappointing end of last season behind him, George says he's coming back with a 'vengeance'. He was an ungainly boy, tall and skinny and so myopic he could scarcely make out a face without his glasses. Comparison between George Mikan and other NBA stars, Related Links (external): When he entered high school, Mikan made the basketball team but was cut after the coach found out he could not play without his glasses. Mikan scored 31.3 points per game in the playoffs. Wilt Chamberlain: Free throw plane Juni 1924 in Joliet, Illinois; 1. He also won two state championships in high school. DePaul gave him a full athletic scholarship, a decision it never regretted. During his two years as commissioner, he created the league's distinctive red, white, and blue basketball. Only twice did the C's manage to finish with at least 60 wins, topping out with a 62-18 record during the 1964-65 season. By winning the 1956 NCAA Championship with USF and the 1957 NBA title with the Celtics, Russell became the first of only four players in basketball history to win an NCAA championship and an NBA Championship back-to-back (the others being Henry Bibby, Magic Johnson, and Billy Thompson). Two years ago, when ESPN was ranking the best players in NBA history (result: Jordan first, with James third behind Abdul-Jabbar), I developed a metric that could evaluate the league's greatest stars throughout the decades on a level playing field. Rarely mentioned in many "Top 10's" of greatest players, George Mikan deserves an entry onto this list for his impact on the sport of basketball in general. That might be tough to square with Jordan's six championships … Mr. Chairman, and distinguished guests, heroes and friends of football, as a long time National League Football fan it is with great pride that I take part in honoring George Halas who enters Pro Football’s Hall of Fame portholes, a player coach, founder. 30. Privacy and Cookies Policy. Playoff Appearances. Between 1949 and 1954, the Minneapolis Lakers were the winners of five of the six NBA Finals. The Lakers dominated the Western Division, then rolled through the playoffs, winning a best-of-five championship series against the Rochester Royals in four games. LeBron James, Danny Green, Robert Horry and John Salley are the only players who won championships with 3 different teams. George Mikan News Defensive win shares/48 minutes: .085. During his rookie season, Mikan scored an average of 16.5 points per game and helped the Gears win their league's championship. Our apologies, George Mikan, K.C. Setting up this new team did not go smoothly. Knicks." The marquee above Madison Square Garden that flashed "George Mikan vs. Knicks" aptly told the story of basketball's original superstar. MIKAN WAS KNOWN AS THE FIRST SUPERSTAR OF NBA LeBron James is the only active player who has won four or more championships, several players have won three. He acknowledged that the game had undergone huge changes. Compare Wilt Chamberlain and George Mikan careers through the years of your choosing. In 1950 the Associated Press named Mikan the greatest basketball player of the first half of the twentieth century. 19 hours ago Grizzlies' depth shines bright in 7th straight win Meyer helped Mikan to condition his body and shoot more accurately—and also to stop being embarrassed about his height. Sports Illustrated, November 6, 1989, p. 128; August 22, 1994, p. 52; November 11, 1996, p. 76. He was only 30, but the sport had taken a heavy toll on his body. During this period, the Minneapolis Lakers, led by center George Mikan, won five NBA Championships and established themselves as the league's first dynasty. The Minneapolis Lakers were the first dynasty in NBA history. How many three pointers has Manu Ginobli attempted this season? Kareem Abdul-Jabbar of the Milwaukee Bucks won the title in 1971 and 1972, and Bob Pettit of the St. Louis Hawks won the title in 1956 and 1959. 1947-05-17 NBA center George Mikan (22) weds college sweetheart Patricia Lu Daveny; Historical Events. Mikan played seven seasons with the Lakers leading them to five BAA/NBA Championship titles. Known for his passion for the game and his ability to teach and motivate his players, Ray Meyer served as the head basketball coach of DePaul's Blue Demons from 1942 to 1984. Bob Kurland. Following the 1953-54 season, Mikan surprised basketball fans by announcing his retirement. Michael Jordan won six championships with the Chicago Bulls and led the team to two separate three-peat titles. During the 1950-51 regular season, Minneapolis posted the best record in the NBA. Defensive statistics/game: 3.5 defensive rebounds, 1.3 steals, 0.3 blocked shots. George Mikan. Free Throw Pct1948-49 BAA .772 (14th)1949-50 NBA .779 (13th)1950-51 NBA .803 (11th)1951-52 NBA .780 (14th)1952-53 NBA .780 (14th)1953-54 NBA .777 (8th)6 Seasons in Top 20. At six feet, ten inches, he towered over most other college and professional players of the 1940s and 1950s. Although Mikan drew many new fans, the Gears were financially unstable and the team went bankrupt after his rookie season. Hickok, Ralph, A Who's Who of Sports Champions, Houghton Mifflin, 1995. With their most recent win in the 2020 NBA Finals, the Lakers are now tied with the Celtics with 17 NBA championships. Some sportswriters credit him with saving basketball as a professional sport, especially since various franchises and leagues would open and then fold within a few years. No refrence of George Mikan the original big man in the game is mentioned. In the mid-1980s Mikan and a group of Minneapolis businessmen convinced the National Basketball Association (NBA) to start a new team in Minnesota, the Timberwolves. Heuman, William, Famous Pro Basketball Stars, Dodd, Mead, 1970. The official site of the National Basketball Association. Known as "Mr. Basketball", Mikan revolutionized the sport in the late 1940s and 50s. In 1960 the team's management announced that it was leaving Minnesota and moving to Los Angeles, which had no professional franchise. That's 13 championships in 15 years. That's 13 championships in 15 years. But he was convinced to sign on after he met with the management, missed his flight home, and the sportswriter who was driving him convinced him how wonderful the area was. Jahrhunderts gewählt, war 1996 unter den 50 Greatest Players in NBA History und wurde 1959 in die Naismith Me… George Karl's ruthless tweet to Mark Jackson: 'How many of my teams became dynasties right after I left?' Sign In. During his rookie season, Mikan scored an average of 16.5 points per game and helped the Gears win their league's championship. Buy and Sell trading cards in both fixed & auction selling formats. But instead of the west coast, move 2000 miles inland. After a timeout, the Globetrotters inbounded the ball. Land of Basketball is a fan website, for official NBA information visit National Basketball Association's website. George Gervin Allen Iverson: Oklahoma City Thunder San Antonio Spurs Philadelphia 76ers: 4: 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014 1978, 1979, 1980, 1982 1999, 2001, 2002, 2005: Neil Johnston Bob McAdoo George Mikan James Harden: Philadelphia Warriors Buffalo Braves Minneapolis Lakers Houston Rockets: 3: 1953, 1954, 1955 1974, 1975, 1976 1949, 1950, 1951 2018, 2019, 2020: … Frazier, during MSG Network’s telecast of the Knicks’ 109-90 win over the Pistons, proposed a logo that would feature a bunch of greats, dating to the original big man, George Mikan. Edit: But wait, there's more! Mikan led the new 17-team league in scoring with 27.4 points per game and the Lakers won the first-ever NBA championship. George Lawrence Mikan Jr. (* 18. In a championship semifinal game against Rhode Island—won by DePaul 97-53—Mikan set a Madison Square Garden record by scoring 53 points. LeBron is also the only player in NBA history to win Finals MVPs with 3 teams. Adjust his fg% to league average as well as his pace and his peak season is superior to Michael Jordan's 1990-1991 MVP season (his highest PER season as well) The first dominant big man in professional basketball, George Mikan played with a competitive fire matched by few. George Mikan became the marbles champion of Will County, Ill., when he was 10 years old, and as far as anyone could tell then, that looked as if it would be the pinnacle of a most unpromising athletic career. Since then, we’ve seen other franchises — … For instance, during his professional career Mikan's salary was only a fraction of what has been paid to superstars in recent years, and there were only a few thousand fans at many games. And their star man was George Mikan. Suggestions? By the time he was 11, he was well over six feet tall and often was the target of taunting, because he also was very awkward and wore thick glasses. Hall of Fame. George Halas Enshrinement speech. Fortunately for Mikan, another school viewed him differently. And before all of them came George Mikan. Married Life. Because Mikan was far and away the best player on his team, it’s safe to assume he would have won Finals MVP for each of his five championships. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar never saw Mikan … "The Fifty Greatest Players in NBA History: George Mikan," NBA at 50, http://www.nba.com/nbaat50/greats/mikan.html (January 18, 2001). Year after year he generally led the league in scoring or rebounding or both, and his team to the championship -- he starred on seven pro championship teams in two leagues from 1947 to 1954. He could dunk, which he did in practice but not during a game because it was considered ungentlemanly. Did I mention Russell came to the NBA having won the last two NCAA championships and an Olympic gold medal? Mikan hit a foul shot with 90 seconds to play to tie the game at 59. 1949-50 with Minneapolis Lakers. 2. George Mikan Pictures, Comments? All this man did was win. Other teams used many tricks to stop the Lakers, usually unsuccessfully. Between 1949 and 1954, the Minneapolis Lakers were the winners of five of the six NBA Finals. He insisted on playing in the series against Rochester with a fractured leg. His record of 724 wins and 354 losses included 37 winning seasons, thirteen National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) post-season appearances and eight National Invitational Tournament (NIT) appearances, twelve 20-win seasons, two NCAA Final Four appearances (1943 and 1978), and a NIT title (1945). Halas returned in 1946 and won his fifth championship that season. During the late 1940s and early 1950s the Lakers also acquired such outstanding players as Jim Pollard, Vern Mikkelsen, and Slater Martin. Playing a much more physical game, the Trotters not only held Mikan to only six points the rest of the way, they frustrated George to the point that he drew a technical foul. When the team traveled to New York City's Madison Square Garden, the marquee would read "Tonight: George Mikan vs. Johnny Kundla, coach of the new franchise Minneapolis Lakers, picked Mikan. All Rights Reserved. Major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada Basketball Association of America Sports … George Mikan lead the Minneapolis Lakers to their first NBA championship in 1949. During his career he had fractured both of legs, both feet, a wrist, several fingers, and his nose (numerous times). . Mikan's doctor thought that he would not be able to play again after breaking his leg, and he could not even walk normally for more than a year. The Bulls and Warriors are tied for third with six titles each. In fact, his protection of the basket was perhaps too good; men's basketball rules were changed during his college years to prohibit goaltending, Mikan was one of the few players in his era to rise above the …