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George McGinnisAmerican professional basketball player
Date of Birth: 12.08.1950
Country:  USA |
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George McGinnis: A Basketball Legend
George McGinnis was an American professional basketball player who played in the ABA and NBA. He was a two-time ABA champion with the Indiana Pacers and was named to the ABA's All-Time Team. McGinnis was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2017.
College Career
As a sophomore at Indiana University, McGinnis led all sophomores in scoring and rebounding. His impressive performance attracted attention from the ABA, and he was selected by the Indiana Pacers in the 1971 ABA draft.
ABA Stardom
McGinnis quickly established himself as one of the ABA's star players. He was a key member of the Pacers' two championship teams in 1973 and 1975. Together with Julius Irving, McGinnis helped lead the Philadelphia 76ers to the 1977 NBA Finals after the ABA-NBA merger.
NBA Career
In 1978, McGinnis was traded to the Denver Nuggets. Two years later, he returned to the Pacers in a trade for Alex English. However, McGinnis was a shell of his former self and made only a minimal contribution in his two years back with the Pacers. English, on the other hand, went on to become one of the NBA's all-time leading scorers. The trade is still considered one of the worst (if not the worst) trades in Pacers history and one of the most lopsided trades in NBA history.
Legacy
McGinnis is one of four players (Roger Brown, Reggie Miller, and Mel Daniels) to have his jersey number (30) retired by the Indiana Pacers. Despite his accomplishments in the ABA, he is one of the few ABA MVPs not yet inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts. Other former ABA players who have been inducted include Connie Hawkins (1992), Dan Issel (1993), David Thompson (1996), and Artis Gilmore (2011).
