The Los Angeles Lakers will be retiring club legend George Mikan’s jersey on October 30. Mikan is one of the most influential figures in the history of basketball as an early pioneer and innovator of the game. Outside of that, he had a legendary career with the Lakers, contributing to 5 of the championship banners that hang in the Crypto.com arena today.
Mikan earned his accolades before the Lakers were a team in sunny Los Angeles. In fact, the team was located in the exact opposite weather conditions in Minnesota. The reason the team is called the Lakers in a city with no lakes is because the team was originally the Minneapolis Lakers.
Mikan’s jersey could have been retired ages ago, but in true ‘better-late-than-never’ fashion, Mikan will finally be honored by the Lakers. The former NBA MVP passed away in 2005, so he won’t be there to attend the function.
5x Champion, All-Star, MVP, and the man behind the Mikan Drill.
On October 30th we celebrate Mr. Basketball. pic.twitter.com/ydUOggbOFQ
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) September 21, 2022
The Indomitable Legacy Of George Mikan
The story of basketball can’t be told without mentioning the contributions of George Mikan. A practice drill that he used to improve control while shooting from both hands is now known as the Mikan Drill because of how impactful it was. Anyone who has had any form of organized basketball training knows the Mikan Drill, as it is one of the most basic tools in building a basketball player’s skill setup.
Over his Lakers career, Mikan had many incredible accomplishments. He raised 5 championship banners, is a former league MVP, attended multiple All-Star games, and has even led the league in rebounding. Any modern player with a resume like this would be put in conversations as one of the greatest players of all time. He is one of the few players in NBA history to both win the scoring title and championship in the same year.
Mikan averaged 23.1 points and 13.4 rebounds over the course of his NBA career. He is a legend of the game, and the Lakers should definitely add another piece of history to their glowing section of retired jerseys.
