This 1986 CBS At The Half of Game 3 of the NBA Finals between the Boston Celtics versus the Houston Rockets features a very interesting interview with NBA legend George Mikan by CBS Sports broadcasting legend, Brent Musburger…..is really good stuff….as NBA fans get an inside look at the man who put the NBA on the map.
George Mikan was nicknamedMr. Basketball ….was an American professional basketball player for the Chicago American Gears of the National Basketball League (NBL)….and then for the Minneapolis Lakers of the NBL….the Basketball Association of America (BAA)….and the National Basketball Association(NBA)….who invariably played with thick, round spectacles as a 6 foot 10 inch (2.08 m) 245 pounds (111 kg) giant of the game. George Mikan is seen as one of the pioneers of professional basketball….after redefining the game of so-called big men with his prolific rebounding, shot blocking, and his talent to shoot over smaller defenders with his ambidextrous hook shot….which is the result of his namesake famous Mikan Drill.
Mikan had a successful playing career after winning seven NBL, BAA, and NBA championships….an NBA All-Star Game MVP trophy….and three scoring titles. He was a member of the first four NBA All-Star games….and the first six All-BAA and All-NBA Teams . Mikan was so dominant that he caused several rule changes in the NBA….among them, the introduction of the goaltending rule….the widening of the foul lane which is known as the “Mikan Rule”….and the creation of the shot clock.
After his playing career, Mikan became one of the founders of the American Basketball Association (ABA) ….while serving as commissioner of the league. He was also vital for the forming of the Minnesota Timberwolves. In his later years, Mikan was involved in a long-standing legal battle against the NBA, fighting to increase the meager pensions for players who had retired before the league became lucrative.
For his feats, Mikan was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1959….made the 25th and 35th NBA Anniversary Teams of 1970’s and 1980’s…. and was elected one of the NBA’s 50 Greatest Players ever in 1996. Since April 2001, a statue of Mikan shooting his trademark hook shot graces the entrance of the Timberwolves’ Target Center…..and his interview with Musburger makes this video well worth the watch.
