George Mikan Minneapolis Lakers Road Jersey to be Auctioned Off |
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On Tuesday, June 5, 2007, Sotheby’s and SCP Auctions will offer three unprecedented single-owner collections: The Estate of New York Baseball Legend Casey Stengel, The Collection of Mitsuhiko Fujita featuring memorabilia from the 1934 Tour of Japan and the finest private collection of Hall of Fame basketball jerseys ever to come up for auction. Included in the auction will be George Mikan’s 1947-1948 Minneapolis Lakers road jersey.
The pioneering professional basketball career of George Lawrence Mikan, Jr., nicknamed “Mr. Basketball,” was spent with the Chicago American Gears of the NBL and the Minneapolis Lakers of the NBL, the BAA and the NBA.
Playing with thick, round spectacles, the 6-foot 10-inch, 245 pound Mikan redefined his sport as a 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. An indomitable force, whose game was ahead of it’s time, Mikan won seven NBL, BAA and NBA championships, an All-Star MVP trophy, three scoring titles and was a member of the first four NBA All-Star and the first six All-BAA and All-NBA Teams.
Mikan’s level of dominance forced several rule changes in the NBA, among them widening the foul lane - known as the "Mikan Rule" - and introducing the shot clock.
After his player career, Mikan became one of the founding fathers of the ABA, and was also vital for the forming of the Minnesota Timberwolves. In his later years, Mikan fought a long-standing legal battle against the NBA, fighting against the meager pensions for players who had retired before the league became lucrative. Mikan, who paved the way for the multi-million dollar contracts enjoyed by today’s NBA stars, tragically became a martyr of his own cause when he died in poverty after a long-standing battle against diabetes. For his feats, Mikan was declared “Greatest Basketballer in the First Half-Century” by the The Associated Press in 1950, was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1959, made the 25th and 35th NBA Anniversary Teams of 1970 and 1980 and was selected as one of the NBA’s 50 Greatest Players in 1996.
Mikan’s 1947-48 Minneapolis Lakers NBL road jersey features the team’s initials “MPLS” across the front. Mikan’s number “99” appears on both the front and back of the shirt. The letters and numbers are made of gold matte tackle twill with the body made of a blue wool material. Representing a season in which Mikan led the Lakers to the NBL Championship, the jersey originates from Mikan's daughter who received the jersey from her father. It shows evidence of game-use and appears to have no alterations of any kind.
Visit www.scpauctions.com for more information.
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CMG Worldwide remembers George Mikan
June 2, 2005
The irrepressible George Mikan, professional basketball's first dominant big
man who led the Minneapolis Lakers to five championships, died at a Scottsdale,
Arizona rehabilitation center, on Wednesday, June 1, 2005. He was 80.
Mikan had suffered from diabetes and kidney failure and he was recently in the
hospital for treatment of a diabetes wound in the his leg (his other legs was
amputated several years ago). He also underwent kidney dialysis three days a
week. A few days after he was moved from the hospital to the rehabilitation center,
he passed away.
Born June 18, 1924 in Joliet, Illinois, Mikan began his life on the hardwood at DePaul in Chicago. His devoted first-year coach, Ray Meyer, helped to mold Mikan into a star player, through various exercises and drills. The hard work eventually paid off and Mikan developed a legendary hook shot, which he was able to pull off with either hand. Six-foot-10, nearsighted with thick glasses, Mikan was so effective as a center at DePaul that he forced the NCAA to adopt the goaltending rule.
As a professional, Mikan dominated from the moment he arrived. While playing with the Minneapolis Lakers, Mikan led his team to an astonishing five league titles in the first six years of the franchise's history. A rough player, Mikan led the league in personal fouls three times and had broke 10 bones during his playing career, yet for seven seasons he averaged 23.1 points per game. He earned the league title of MVP in the 1948-49 season, but retired in 1956 due to various injuries.
"He obviously was the first of the real high-profile players," Boston Celtic great and CMG client Bob Cousy remarked. "He
literally carried the league. He gave us recognition and acceptance
when we were at the bottom of the totem pole in professional sports. He transcended
the
game.
People came to see him as much as they came to see the game."
Later in his life Mikan's love for basketball is not diminish. He coached the Lakers for a part of the 1957-58 season and was elected commissioner of the American Basketball Association in 1967. It was in this position that he introduced the 3-point line and the distinctive red, white and blue ball.
"We were trying to get the network television contract, and I thought the typical brown ball was very hard to see in a large auditorium," Mikan said. "I
decided on a ball with different-colored panels of red, white and
blue for three reasons. First, it was patriotic; second, the TV viewability was
just fantastic; and third, because of the salability of the ball. The young
kids really
liked
it. In fact, we ran product comparison tests and the youngsters invariably
chose
our ball over the others."
A statue was erected in honor of the NBA Hall of Famer at the Target Center in
Minneapolis. George Mikan was truly one of the legendary greats as he graced
the NCAA and NBA hardwood. His legacy and contributions to the great game of
basketball will remain in the hearts and minds of individuals all over this great
land.
Mikan is survived by his wife of 58 years, Patricia; sons Larry, Terry, Patrick and Michael; daughters Trisha and Maureen, and numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
