George Mikan Basketball example essay topic

George Lawrence Mikan was born on June 18, 1924, in Joliet, Illinois. He was of Croatian and Lithuanian Decent. George's height peaked at 6 feet 10 inches and he weighed 245 pounds. His family consisted of his mother Minnie, father Joseph, and two brothers Joe and Ed. All three boys worked in the family restaurant following school each day. At a young age George's passion was the piano and he wanted to someday be a concert pianist.

Throughout his life this proved to be a beloved hobby. As a boy George did not have many basketball skills and broke his leg in a game at the age of thirteen. He gave priesthood a try at the Quigley Seminary in downtown Chicago following his attendance at Joliet Catholic High School. The high school coach had discouraged George from basketball because of his eyesight.

The Seminary was a thirty-five mile commute from Joliet, which left George no time for basketball. At this time his 6 foot 10 inch stature had done nothing but cause him to feel awkward and shy. George gave basketball another try at Notre Dame University. Coach George Kegan was very skeptical of his success because of the quarter inch glasses that he wore. When Notre Dame's assistant coach Ray Meyer took over as head coach of Chicago's De Paul University he decided to work with George. The workouts with more agile teammates improved his timing.

He followed through with four varsity seasons for De Paul. In George's first season, De Paul won nineteen games and lost only five. George's ability to block shots that were dropping into the basket inspired a new National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) rule against goal tending. In 1944 they lost the National Invitational Tournament but came back to win it the next season. George was a three time All-American, from 1944-1946 after performances such as his 120 points in his final three games at De Paul with a high of 53.

In all, George led De Paul to an 83-18 record scoring 1,870 points, a collegiate record at that time. George played baseball in the off-season and was being scouted by the major leagues as a pitcher. With his height and reputation it was inevitable that he would choose basketball. The National Basketball League (NBL) had begun in 1937, but with a limited amount of teams it was a small time operation until World War II.

George's team was sponsored in the same way as many bowling teams. The Chicago American Gears paid him $12,000 per season. He married Patricia Lu Deve ny in 1946, the year he became a professional. They went on to have four sons and two daughters together. George joined the Minneapolis Lakers following the Gears disband after only twenty-five games. He was chosen unanimously as the NBL's most valuable player for the 1947-48 season after averaging 21.3 points per game.

The Lakers won the title that year and began a dynasty. In 1948-49, The Lakers, along with three other teams, joined a new league, the National Basketball Association (NBA). There were also eleven teams added by Commissioner Maurice Podoloff from the Basketball Association of America (BAA). George was wearing his well-known number 99 and everywhere crowds came to see him. The Lakers won the title again in the NBA's first year with the league's leading scorer George Mikan, averaging 28.3 points per game. The most dramatic point in the season was when George broke his wrist in the playoffs.

He played the next two games with one hand dangling in a cast and averaged 30 points. The dynamic Lakers George Mikan, Vern Mikkel son, Jim Pollard, Arnie Ferrin, and Slater Martin, possibly the best team ever put together went on to win a third consecutive championship in 1949-50. Once again George led the league in scoring with 27.4 points per game. Because of George's broken ankle in 1950-51 the Lakers lost to the Rochester Royals in the semifinals yet George was a leader again in scoring with 28.4 points per game. On November 22, 1950 basketball fans witnessed one of the wildest games in NBA history. The Lakers were defeated 19-18 by Fort Wayne.

Games like this brought the 24 second rule into the game in 1954-55. The stall could no longer be used to keep the ball from dominating players like George. In 1951-52, the three-second lane was widened from 6 feet to 12 feet across to keep the big players like George from hanging around the basket. George felt that this change made the game better and gave a more wide-open play.

However, this didn't slow him down in any way. He scored 61 points in an early-season game and brought the Lakers their fourth title. George shocked many during his announcement of retirement after the 1953-54 season and the Lakers fifth title in seven years. Coach Larry Kun dla was very surprised that "Mr. Basketball" had decided to leave the game at the age of thirty. He had dominated from 1946 to 1954. Before each game with the New York Knicks the Madison Square Garden Marquee read "Tonight George Mikan vs. Knicks".

George became general manager of the Lakers before his bold move of returning to the game. The team had been struggling without him and he gave it another try. But returning at 265 pounds and out of shape did not do much for this veteran. He was only averaging 10.5 points per game. George left the game for good in 1956. The team later moved to Los Angeles after attendance dropped.

In 1949, through off-season, study George had become a lawyer and proved to be very successful. In 1967, he was the first Commissioner of the American Basketball Association (ABA). He later resigned as Commissioner to continue his law practice in 1969. Without George Mikan basketball might still be a game of low scores. There is no doubt that he had played a large part in the establishment of the 24-second rule. It was an amazing accomplishment to average 28 points before this rule.

George Mikan was a rugged play maker and a great defender with a deadly shot. He played through injury and always gave his all to the game. His elbows were used as weapons. He was often double and triple teamed but he rarely fouled out. George led the league in scoring three years. He played in six professional seasons and made the All-NBA First Team six consecutive years.

George was named the Associated Press Player of the Half Century in 1950 having revolutionized the game, making it more offense-oriented. "Mr. Basketball", the first Professional Basketball superstar was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1959.

Bibliography

World's Greatest Athletes Volume 12 by Daniel C. ScavoneMr. Basketball: George Mikan's Own Story by George Mikan web Pain Professor Hunt Nassau CC. April 4, 2002.