George Lawrence Mikan, Jr. was an American basketball player who stood out in the 1950s, playing for seventeen seasons in the National Basketball League. He received the nickname “Mr. Basketball.” This tall player was always playing with thick round glasses and is considered the first “superstar” of the American professional league, redefining the game.
Mikan had a long playing career, winning seven NBL and NBA championships, an All-Star best player award, three league scoring awards, and was a four-time All-Star Game pick. He was so dominant that it caused several game rules to be changed, including the extension of the “foul line” (known as the “Mikan Rule”) and the introduction of the shot clock.
After his professional career, Mikan became one of the founders of the American Basketball Association (ABA), being commissioner of that league, and was also instrumental in the birth of the Minnesota Timberwolves franchise. In his last years of life, he was immersed in a legal battle against the NBA, fighting for retired players’ pensions when the league was not as lucrative as it is today. He passed away after a long battle with diabetes in 2005.
For his exploits, Mikan was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1959, was part of the NBA’s 25th and 35th-anniversary teams, and was named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History. Since April 2001, a monument of him shooting his famous hook stands in front of the lobby of the Target Center in Minnesota.
George Mikan – Early life
Mikan was born in Joliet, Illinois, to Croatian parents. At eleven, he spent his free time playing basketball in his neighborhood with his grandmother, who acted as a referee. He did not appear destined to be an athlete and did not play basketball in high school until his senior season.
In one of the games, his high-school team faced one of the strongest teams in the state, St. Leo’s. Mikan scored 24 points, far superior to his rivals, and his team won the match. Paul Mattei, head of the athletics department at De Paul University, came to follow one of the St. Leo’s players, but he couldn’t help but notice the lanky young man with glasses. In the end, he approached him and told him that if he wanted to play in college, he was offering her a scholarship to do so at De Paul. Mikan accepted but did not want to tell her parents, who would find out months later through the press. When he entered DePaul University in 1942, he was a guy with clumsy movements due to his constitution, since he was tall and wore bulky glasses.
George Mikan – University
However, Mikan found himself in the Blue Demons with a 28-year-old rookie coach, Ray Mayer, who saw potential in the unusual and intelligent but also shy and clumsy player. Meyer and Mikan worked hard, and Mikan learned to hook with both hands. This routine became known as “the Mikan exercise.” in the following months, he rebuilt Mikan into an assertive player, an aggressive man who took pride in his strengths rather than being a shy big guy with glasses.
In his first year in the NCAA, Mikan dominated his opponents. He intimidated his opponents with his height and size, being unstoppable in attack due to his perfected hook, soon earning a reputation in the league as one of the strongest and most decisive players.
Mikan was elected NCAA Best Player twice, in 1945 and 1946, and was named All-American three times. He led DePaul to win the NIT title in 1945, being named the best player of that tournament after scoring 120 points in 3 games, including 53 against the University of Rhode Island.
George Mikan – Chicago American Gears
He only played the last 7 games of the regular season, managing to average 16.5 points per game, something unusual for a rookie, being a key player in winning the league title for the Chicago American Gears after beating the Rochester Royals in the finals.
George Mikan – Minneapolis Lakers in the NBL and BAA
In the 1947-48 season, Mikan wore the number 99, making him famous for the first time. With the guidance of his favorite coach John Kundla, Mikan averaged more than 20 points per game in the NBA. Minneapolis Lakers reached the finals and defeated the Rochester Royals 3-1 in the finals, in which he averaged 27.5 points per game.
George Mikan – BAA
Before the 1948–49 season, the Minneapolis Lakers left for the league’s rival league, the BAA. The advantage of this league for the teams resided in the fact that a large part of its franchises was located in big cities.
That season, Mikan averaged 28.3 points and 3.6 assists per game, getting a third of his team’s points and winning the top scorer title by a wide margin of difference.
The Lakers reached the 1949 Finals without significant difficulties, where they met the Washington Capitals, then coached by Red Auerbach. They quickly took a 3-0 lead. But in the fourth game, Mikan broke his wrist, and the Capitols took advantage of the situation to win their first game of the series. Although Mikan scored 22 points playing with his bandaged arm, they also won the fifth. However, in Game 6, the Lakers posted a convincing 77-56 victory, winning the BAA title. Mikan had 30.3 PPG in the series, despite his injury.
George Mikan – Minneapolis Lakers in the NBA
After that season, the BAA and the NBL merged, giving rise to the current NBA(National Basketball Association). The inaugural season, 1949–50, began with 17 teams, with the Lakers placed in the Central Division. Mikan continued to be a dominant player, averaging 27.4 points and 2.9 assists per game. After leading without problems during the regular season, with an impressive balance of 51 wins and 17 losses, they stood in the NBA Finals, where they played Syracuse Nationals. The series was finally decided in favor of the Lakers, winning the sixth game 110-95 and getting their first NBA title. Mikan led the league by scoring an average of 31.3 points in the playoffs.
In the 1950-51 season, Mikan was again a dominant player, setting a professional career record by averaging more than 28 points per game. That season, George participated in one of the most exciting games ever played in the league’s early history. The Fort Wayne Pistons faced the Lakers, putting themselves ahead on the scoreboard, 19-18. Fearful that Mikan would steal the ball and score in the fastbreak, the Pistons dedicated themselves to passing the ball without ever trying to get to the basket. As the 24-second clock had not yet been established, time passed, ending the match with that result.
In the 1952 Playoffs, the Lakers reached the final after eliminating the Indianapolis Olympians and Rochester Royals in the previous playoffs, facing the New York Knicks. These finals were considered one of the strongest in the league’s history. The seventh and final game was played at the Minnesota Auditorium, with the Lakers clearly winning 82-65, obtaining a reward of $ 7,500 to be distributed among the players.
In the 1952–53 season, Mikan averaged 20.6 points and his career-high 14.4 rebounds per game. He was also included in the league’s best team for the fifth consecutive year. In the playoffs, the Lakers reached the finals again, defeating the Knicks again with more force and ease, by 4 to 1.
Why did George Mikan Retire?
The 1953-54 season began a slow decline in Mikan’s game. At 29 years old, he averaged 18.1 points, 14.3 rebounds, and 2.4 assists that year. Under his leadership, the Lakers won the title again in the 1954 Finals defeating the Syracuse Nationals 4-3, winning the third consecutive title and the fifth in six years.
After the end of the season, Mikan surprised the basketball world by announcing his retirement. Injuries also influenced his decision since he began playing professionally; he has broken 10 bones and received 16 stitches, often playing with these injuries.
During the 1955-56 season, he surprised everyone again by announcing his return. He played for 37 games, but his long absence took its toll on him. He averaged just 10.5 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 1.3 assists, as his team lost in the first round of the playoffs to the St. Louis Hawks.
Mikan was inducted into the inaugural Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1959 and was declared the best player of the first half of the century by the Associated Press. He averaged 23.1 points and 13.4 rebounds per game in his career.
George Mikan – Later life
In 1956 he was the Republican Party’s candidate for United States Congress. In the 1957-58 NBA season, Lakers coach John Kundla was named General Manager, persuading Mikan to take over the team’s bench as a coach. However, it was a disastrous move, as the Los Angeles Lakers started the league with a very poor record of 9 wins and 30 losses before Mikan resigned, returning the duties to Kundla. After that setback, he decided to return to his law career, maintaining his large family with 6 children, specializing in companies and real estate. In addition to all this, he bought and renovated buildings in Minneapolis.
George Mikan – Return to basketball
In 1967 he returned to the world of professional basketball again, becoming the first commissioner of the American Basketball Association, a rival league to the NBA. To attract basketball fans to his league, Mikan invented the 3-point line and the characteristic tricolor ball with the colors of the United States flag, which he thought was more patriotic, that it looked better on television and that it was more to the public’s taste than the brown NBA ball. Retired from the ABA in 1969, he disappeared from public life. Still, he dedicated his efforts to getting a professional team for the city of Minnesota decades after the Lakers moved to Los Angeles. In the end, he got his way, leading the creation of a new franchise, the Minnesota Timberwolves, in the 1989-90 season.
In his later years, Mikan battled diabetes, also suffering from kidney failure and finally having his right leg amputated at the knee due to his illness. When her insurance stopped paying, he was faced with serious financial problems. He had a tough legal battle against the NBA and the league’s players’ union, fighting for the higher pension for retired players.
George Mikan – Net Worth
George Mikan was an American professional basketball player and Hall of Famer who had an estimated net worth of between $6 million and $15 million. He was one of the pioneers of modern basketball and is considered to be one of the greatest players in NBA history. He was a five-time NBA Champion, six-time All-Star, and a four-time MVP.
When was George Mikan drafted?
George Mikan was drafted in 1946 by the Chicago American Gears and in 1947 by the Minneapolis Lakers. He was one of the most dominant players of his era and helped to lead the Lakers to five NBA championships.
What is George Mikan known for?
Mikan was a pioneer in the modern age of basketball. He is credited as being the first center to score 11,764 points, averaging 22.6 per game. Upon his retirement, he held the record for most points scored and averaged 13.4 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 520 NBL, BAA and NBA games over his career.
How much did George Mikan get paid?
Upon his 1946 graduation from DePaul, Mikan joined the professional Chicago Gears team with a five-year $12,000 contract-the highest annual salary ever given to a basketball player.
How tall was George Mikan?
At an impressive height of 6 feet 10 inches (2.08 metres), he was a pioneering figure among post-World War II professional basketball players known for their size and talent.
