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GEORGE MIKAN
DePaul University (1941-46)
Minneapolis Lakers (1948-1954)

George Mikan is regarded as the first superstar in the National Basketball Association. Standing at 6 feet, 10 inches (2.08 m), he is also regarded as the first dominant "big man" in basketball history. He was voted the top player in the first half of the 20th century.
Mikan played college basketball at DePaul University from 1941 to 1946 under coach Ray Meyer. He led the nation in scoring and was named National Player of the Year in 1946.

He began playing professional basketball with the Chicago American Gears of the National Basketball League, leading them to the NBL title in 1947. Mikan was selected by the Minneapolis Lakers in the NBA draft and joined the Lakers in 1948. He was by far the biggest star of the league, so much so that a Lakers game at Madison Square Garden, New York City was billed as "George Mikan vs. Knicks".

Mikan was one of the most dominant players in the early years of the NBA, and rules were changed in an attempt to handcuff him. When he played college ball at DePaul the goaltending rule was instituted because of Mikan, and the NBA doubled the width of the free throw lane partially to accommodate his unprecedented size. Because of the slowdown tactics used against him, which resulted in the lowest-scoring game in league history (his Lakers lost in 1950 by the score of 19-18 to the Fort Wayne Pistons), the NBA instituted the 24-second shot clock four years later.

Mikan led the league in scoring six times (1946-1952), including a career-high 28.4 ppg in 1951. He led the league in rebounding in 1953 (1,007, 14.4 rpg) and in rebounding average (1952, 13.5 rpg). Annually, he was one of the league leaders in free throw attempts (4,597 for his career). Mikan scored 11,764 points (22.6 ppg) in nine professional seasons, which was the most in league history when he retired.

Mikan and the Lakers won 6 league championships during his playing days. He retired after the 1953-1954 season, but returned briefly in the 1955-1956 season.

Mikan played in the NBA's first four All-Star Games (starting in 1951), winning the game's MVP award in 1953. The NBA did not have a regular-season MVP award until the 1955-56 season (the year after Mikan's first retirement), but he did win the NBL's Most Valuable Player Award in 1948 and was voted the greatest player of the first half-century by the Associated Press in 1950. Mikan was named to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in its inaugural year (1959) and was named one of the league's 50 greatest players in 1996.