Hoops, Coupes, Nazi Oops
Bye, George
Before anyone wanted to be like Mike, everyone wanted to be like Mikan. Before there was Shaq, before there was Wilt, there was George Mikan, the first dominant big man and basketball’s first superstar who died last week at the age of 80 of diabetes-related complications. Named the greatest player of the first half of the 20th Century, Mikan was a member of the inaugural class of the basketball Hall of Fame. Mikan led the Minneapolis Lakers to 3 NBA championships as well as titles in the National Basketball League, an NBA precursor. Mikan’s dominance began in college, where he took DePaul to an NIT title in the days when that didn’t stand for “Not in the Tournament” and he forced the NCAA to adopt the goaltending rule. He continued shaping the rules in the pro ranks, where the lane was widened from 6 to 12 and then 16 feet to move him farther from the basket. After the Fort Wayne Pistons beat the Lakers 19-18, primarily by holding the ball to keep it out of Mikan’s hands, the NBA introduced the 24-second clock to keep other teams from doing the same. The league even considered raising the basket to 12 feet to counter his skills and played a regular season game at that height. Mikan helped Minneapolis join the ranks of the major sports cities, and his contribution was remembered with the addition of a statue in his honor outside the Target Center where the Minnesota Timberwolves now play. Mikan often traveled ahead of his team to drum up interest in road games, and one game at Madison Square Gardens famously was billed as the New York Knicks vs. George Mikan. When he arrived in the locker room, he found his teammates were standing around, not changing. He asked what was going on, and was told that they had seen the marquee and wanted to see how he’d do. After his retirement, Mikan’s stature was tapped as the first commissioner of the upstart American Basketball Association. Mikan had devoted the last years of his life to haranguing the NBA about the measly pensions of $1,000 a month afforded players who, like Mikan, played before 1965.
Before anyone wanted to be like Mike, everyone wanted to be like Mikan. Before there was Shaq, before there was Wilt, there was George Mikan, the first dominant big man and basketball’s first superstar who died last week at the age of 80 of diabetes-related complications. Named the greatest player of the first half of the 20th Century, Mikan was a member of the inaugural class of the basketball Hall of Fame. Mikan led the Minneapolis Lakers to 3 NBA championships as well as titles in the National Basketball League, an NBA precursor. Mikan’s dominance began in college, where he took DePaul to an NIT title in the days when that didn’t stand for “Not in the Tournament” and he forced the NCAA to adopt the goaltending rule. He continued shaping the rules in the pro ranks, where the lane was widened from 6 to 12 and then 16 feet to move him farther from the basket. After the Fort Wayne Pistons beat the Lakers 19-18, primarily by holding the ball to keep it out of Mikan’s hands, the NBA introduced the 24-second clock to keep other teams from doing the same. The league even considered raising the basket to 12 feet to counter his skills and played a regular season game at that height. Mikan helped Minneapolis join the ranks of the major sports cities, and his contribution was remembered with the addition of a statue in his honor outside the Target Center where the Minnesota Timberwolves now play. Mikan often traveled ahead of his team to drum up interest in road games, and one game at Madison Square Gardens famously was billed as the New York Knicks vs. George Mikan. When he arrived in the locker room, he found his teammates were standing around, not changing. He asked what was going on, and was told that they had seen the marquee and wanted to see how he’d do. After his retirement, Mikan’s stature was tapped as the first commissioner of the upstart American Basketball Association. Mikan had devoted the last years of his life to haranguing the NBA about the measly pensions of $1,000 a month afforded players who, like Mikan, played before 1965.
Labels: Hall of Fame, NBA
posted by The Grim Reaper at 11:36 PM
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