George Mikan

The first great center — so dominant they had to change the rules to limit his advantage.

George Lawrence Mikan Jr. was born on 18 June 1924 in Joliet, Illinois, to a Croatian father and Lithuanian mother who ran the family tavern. As a boy he shattered a kneecap so severely that doctors feared he would never walk properly again, and thick corrective glasses and a gangly frame led coaches to initially overlook him, but DePaul coach Ray Meyer saw potential and developed his agility through dedicated individual training. Mikan led DePaul to the 1945 National Invitation Tournament title and was named a three-time All-American, becoming so dominant that opposing players resorted to fouling him relentlessly, at various points knocking out four of his teeth and breaking bones. He turned professional with the Chicago American Gears before joining the Minneapolis Lakers in 1947. Standing 6 feet 10 inches and wearing his trademark spectacles, Mikan became professional basketball's first true superstar, leading the Lakers to five championships across the NBL, BAA, and NBA between 1949 and 1954, including basketball's first three-peat. His dominance in the low post directly led to rule changes, including the introduction of goaltending violations and a widened free-throw lane specifically designed to counter him. Mikan retired in 1956 as the first player in professional basketball history to score 10,000 career points, and was named the greatest player of the sport's first half-century by the Associated Press. He was inducted into the inaugural Basketball Hall of Fame class in 1959, later served as the first commissioner of the ABA, and helped create that league's iconic red, white, and blue ball. He died on 1 June 2005, at age 80, in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Dominant center with hook shot and strong post presence

Revolutionized basketball and established NBA's early popularity

• BAA Champion 1947 (Chicago Gears)
• BAA/NBA Champion 5x (Minneapolis Lakers)
• Hall of Fame 1959