<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">George Mikan just didn't carry a team. He carried a league. He carried his sport. Basketball lost one of its greatest players -- its first superstar long before the term ever was used -- Wednesday night when Mikan died at a rehabilitation center near his home in Scottsdale, Ariz. He was 80. In his day, he was as strong as Shaquille O'Neal and as tall as Yao Ming. At 6 feet 10 and 245 pounds, he was the most powerful player of his era -- basketball's first great big man -- and he led the Minneapolis Lakers to five titles in the early years of the NBA (1949-50, '52-54). Before the NBA was formed, he won championships in the National Basketball League with the Chicago American Gears and the Lakers. When professional basketball was struggling for acceptance in the American mainstream, Mikan brought credibility and charisma that were instrumental to the league's survival. "George was a giant, literally and figuratively," said former NBA center Danny Schayes, whose father, Dolph Schayes, played against him for many years. "He was a pioneer who paved the way for everyone else." Because of his dominance at DePaul University, where he won a national title, college basketball adopted the goaltending rule. His dominance at the professional level led to the widening of the lane and the free-throw circle. Before anyone heard of Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar or Shaquille O'Neal, Mikan was the one big man that everyone feared. "We may never see one man impact the game of basketball as he did," NBA Commissioner David Stern said in a statement Thursday. "He truly revolutionized the game." Mikan used his sweeping hook shot to score, and his towering presence to pass over any double-team defenses that were used against him. Before him, there were no real post players in pro basketball.</div> Source
This is a truely sad thing. Great player, but even better person. I was wondering if anyone saw the Sportscenter feature on him maybe a mothn before his death. Also, Shaq has offered to pay for his funeral, which is a great gesture.
