Minnesota Timberwolves star Kevin Garnett minced no words in describing Hall of Famer George Mikan’s influence on the game.
Nicknamed “Mr. Basketball”, Mikan is remembered for his signature round-eyed spectacles and ambidextrous hook shot — one that Lakers legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar used to good effect years later. This coupled with his brilliant rebounding and relentless shot blocking, made him one of the greatest players of the era.
Garnett’s lavish praise and comparisons with Abdul-Jabbar and Wilt Chamberlain became the topic of discussion on Ballislife. The thread also featured highlights of Mikan’s greatest plays with Garnett’s thoughts on the legend.
“He set the tone in which the game is to be played now. Without George Mikan, we don’t have the hook shot, KAJ doesn’t have 38k points off the hook shot, Wilt doesn’t score 100 points, showing he can be dominant.”
Mikan’s stats were impressive as he averaged 22.6 PPG, 13.8 RPG, and 2.8 APG during his career. In addition, he was a 3× NBA scoring champion, 6× All-BAA/NBA First Team, and NBL scoring champion. His ‘Mikan Drill’, a Center-specific workout is still in vogue in present-day basketball.
KG on George Mikan's influence on the game pic.twitter.com/Bqxs9OXP1q
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) September 21, 2022
Garnett, known for his intense athleticism and dunking, that earned him the moniker ‘Big Ticket’ was one of the greatest players to play the game and was honored by being named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team. He was named nine times to the All-NBA Team and the NBA All-Defensive Team 12 times.
Over the course of his career, Garnett played for the Minnesota Timberwolves, and later suited up for the Boston Celtics and the Brooklyn Nets before coming back to Minnesota in 2015 in exchange for Thaddeus Young.
The former Minnesota Power Forward also made headlines recently for his thoughts on the team’s possibility of making the postseason, especially after they acquired big man, Rudy Gobert.
