by Erik Dodge

Created on: July 11, 2009   Last Updated: July 12, 2009

Few players in the history of basketball have single handedly changed the game as much as George Mikan. Before Mikan, a 6'10'' Center, basketball was considered a short man's game. During his basketball career, he won championships and received MVP honors at multiple levels and in various leagues. One of Mikan's most visible contributions to the game is the rule his play forced the league to implement; goaltending.

George Lawrence Mikan Jr. was born in Joliet, Illinois on June 18, 1924 and attended high school at Quigley Prep in Chicago. In college Mikan played for the DePaul Blue Demons. The Blue Demons played a zone defense with Mikan in the middle allowing him to guard the basket and goaltend the opposing team's shots. With Mikan goaltending so often, an unprecedented feat, the NCAA decided to outlaw goaltending. During his career at DePaul, Mikan was named Player of the Year twice and was an All-American three times. He also led the Blue Demons to an NIT championship, setting the single game scoring record along the way with 53 points against Rhode Island State in 1945.

Mikan played his rookie season in 1946 for the Chicago American Gears of the NBL. He averaged 16.5 points per game, led the Gears to a league championship and was named to the All-NBL team. The following season the owner of the Gears attempted to start the Professional Basketball League of America and removed the Chicago American Gears from the NBL. This league didn't last much more than a month and the players were placed back on NBL rosters following the collapse. The Lakers were prime beneficiaries of the PBLA's failure, landing the rights to Mikan by chance.

In the 1947-48 season, Mikan averaged 21.3 ppg in the regular season and 27.5 ppg in the finals on the way to a championship victory over the Rochester Royals. The 1949 season saw Mikan's Lakers defect from the NBL in favor of the Basketball Association of America. Mikan averaged 28.3 ppg in the 1949 regular season, providing roughly one third of the Lakers point production at a time when only two other players in the league averaged 20 ppg or more. He was even better in postseason play, averaging 30.3 ppg in 10 games, on the way to another league championship.

The following season the NBL and BAA merged giving birth to the NBA. In the first season of the NBA Mikan led the league in scoring average with 27.4 ppg. Mikan posted 31.3 ppg in the playoffs that year to help the Lakers capture the first NBA title over the Syracuse Nationals.

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>