George Mikan

George Mikan was an American professional basketball center whose scoring and size dominated the early National Basketball League and NBA. His play helped make the center position and professional basketball more prominent.

Minneapolis Lakers: A professional basketball team that won five championships with George Mikan from 1949 to 1954. Mikan led this dynasty before the franchise moved to Los Angeles.
Center (basketball): A basketball position commonly assigned to a team’s tallest player, often responsible for interior scoring and defense. Mikan’s dominance helped establish the center as a team’s focal point.
DePaul Blue Demons men's basketball: The men's basketball program of DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois. Mikan became a national star while playing for DePaul.
Shot clock: A timed limit requiring a basketball team to attempt a shot within a set period of possessing the ball. The NBA adopted the shot clock in 1954 after stalling tactics, including those used against Mikan’s Lakers, hurt games.
1948 NBL–BAA merger: The merger process that brought several National Basketball League teams into the Basketball Association of America in 1949. The Minneapolis Lakers and Mikan entered the NBA through this league consolidation.
Mikan drill: A basketball practice exercise in which players alternate close-range shots on opposite sides of the basket. The drill takes its name from Mikan’s repeated, ambidextrous layups.
Ray Meyer: An American college basketball coach who led DePaul from 1942 to 1984. Meyer coached Mikan and helped develop his basketball skills.
Basketball rules: The codified regulations governing how basketball is played and officiated. Rule changes around the lane and goaltending addressed advantages associated with dominant centers like Mikan.
1950 NBA All-Star Game: The first NBA All-Star Game, held in Boston on March 2, 1951. Mikan’s popularity helped draw attention to the league’s first showcase game.
Hook shot: A one-handed basketball shot taken with the shooter’s body between the ball and a defender. Mikan used a short hook shot to score over defenders near the basket.

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