George McGinnis

Early life

George F. McGinnis was born in Harpersville, Alabama, on August 12, 1950, but grew up in Indianapolis, where he attended Washington High School. He and teammate Steve Downing led Washington to a 31–0 record and a state championship in 1969. McGinnis set an Indiana state tournament scoring record with 148 points in his final four games. He was also named Mr. Basketball for the state of Indiana that year. McGinnis lost his father in the midst of his senior season when Burnie died in a construction accident.

McGinnis also played football in high school, serving as wide receiver and defensive end, and he later stated that his best sport was "probably football", which he didn't even like as much as basketball.

College career

In the 1970–71 season at Indiana University Bloomington, McGinnis became the first sophomore to lead the Big Ten in scoring and rebounding. He averaged 29.9 points per game in his lone season with the Hoosiers, earning All-American and All-Big Ten Honors in 1971. He played for coach Lou Watson, the year before Indiana hired Bob Knight.

Professional career

Indiana Pacers (1971–1975)

McGinnis immediately became one of the marquee players of the ABA, playing a key role on the Indiana Pacers' championship teams in each of his first two seasons with his hometown franchise. He was named the ABA Playoffs MVP in 1973, averaging 23.9 points and 12.3 rebounds in 18 playoff games to help the Pacers repeat as champs. His best season came in 1974–75, when McGinnis scored a career-high 29.8 points and also recorded a career-high 6.3 assists per game en route to ABA MVP honors. In the 1975 ABA Playoffs, he nearly averaged a triple-double (32.3 points, 15.9 rebounds, and 8.2 assists in 18 games), but the Pacers fell short of the title, losing to Kentucky in the ABA Finals. However, in these playoffs, McGinnis established multiple statistical feats. Against the San Antonio Spurs in Game 4 of the 1975 ABA Western Division Semifinals on April 12, 1975, McGinnis recorded the first 50+ point triple-double in NBA/ABA Playoff history with 51 points, 17 rebounds, and 10 assists, a feat later matched by Russell Westbrook of the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2017.

McGinnis also became the first player in NBA/ABA history to record 200+ points, 100+ rebounds, and 50+ assists in a single playoff series, which he accomplished twice in back-to-back series. In six games against the San Antonio Spurs in the 1975 ABA Western Division Semifinals, he registered totals of 230 points (38.3 per game), 113 rebounds (18.8 per game), and 55 assists (9.2 per game). In seven games against the Denver Nuggets in the 1975 ABA Western Division Finals, McGinnis registered totals of 214 points (30.6 per game), 103 rebounds (14.7 per game), and 61 assists (8.7 per game). Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks is the only other player to replicate this, doing so in the 2022 Eastern Conference Semifinals. McGinnis became the first player in NBA/ABA history to lead the playoffs in total points (581), total rebounds (286), and total assists (148) — a feat matched only by Nikola Jokić of the Denver Nuggets in the 2023 NBA Playoffs.

Philadelphia 76ers (1975–1978)

Two years into his professional career, McGinnis was selected by the Philadelphia 76ers as the 22nd overall pick in the second round of the 1973 NBA draft. In October 1974, the 76ers were ready to send McGinnis' draft rights to the New York Knicks with the stipulation that the latter ballclub signs him before the agreed-upon deadline. The deal fell through when he decided to stay with the Pacers and signed a two-year contract with an $85,000 buyout clause which was exercised following the 1974–75 season. Preferring to play in New York City because of its financial endorsement opportunities, McGinnis sought a preliminary injunction and restraining order against the NBA on May 23, 1975, that would have permitted him to negotiate with any of the league's 18 teams. The lawsuit was dropped a week later on May 30 when he signed a six‐year $2.4 million contract with the Knicks in a challenge to the league's constitution. In his first action as new NBA commissioner on June 5, Larry O'Brien disapproved the contract and ordered the Knicks to forfeit its first selection in the 1976 NBA draft and reimburse the 76ers for all expenses relevant to the dispute. McGinnis signed a six‐year, $3.2 million guaranteed, no‐cut, no‐trade, no-option contract with the 76ers five weeks later on July 10, 1975.

In his first postseason with them in 1975, he scored 34 points in one game but fouled out of another as the 76ers lost to the Buffalo Braves in three games. It was McGinnis who ultimately held sway when the 76ers elected to pay millions of dollars to acquire Julius Erving, as both head coach Gene Shue and GM Pat Williams approached him about the negotiations, and he stated that he was fine with them going forward. McGinnis made the All-NBA First Team in his debut season with the 76ers in 1976, and was selected to two All-Star games in his three seasons with the team. While in Philadelphia, he teamed up with fellow ABA alumni Julius Erving and Caldwell Jones. The attention was particularly high for the first season with Erving and McGinnis, with the latter stating "I think most of white America thought of us as a bunch of bigmouth, cocky, high-priced niggers. There will never, ever be another team like that." McGinnis helped propel the 76ers through the playoffs to the NBA Finals in 1977 by averaging 14.2 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per playoff game, but McGinnis suffered a severe groin pull in the midst of the Finals that had to see him take cortisone and xylocaine shots to numb his left leg from his hip to knee that affected his jumping. He scored 28 points in Game 6 but missed a shot at the end of a close game that saw the Portland Trail Blazers clinch the championship; McGinnis, defending himself as not being the reason the team lost, admitted that he had "played poorly the whole series". He was traded at the end of the 1977–78 season. McGinnis was reported to have snuck cigarettes in practice to smoke and by this point, the 76ers had been ready to try and trade him for a year with his practice habits.

Denver Nuggets (1978–1980)

McGinnis was traded to the Denver Nuggets in 1978 for Bobby Jones and Ralph Simpson along a switch of first round draft picks. In his one full season with the Nuggets, he averaged 22.6 points with 11.4 rebounds and 3.7 assists in 76 games while being named to the All-Star Game. However, he tore ligaments in his left ankle near the end of the season and missed the entire playoffs, complete with having a leg put in a cast that saw him gain weight. On January 9, 1980, McGinnis scored an NBA career-high 43 points (His career high in combined ABA/NBA is 58 points in the ABA), along with grabbing 12 rebounds, in a game against the Houston Rockets. 56 games into the 1979–80 season, he was traded.

Return to Indiana (1980–1982)

Hoping to boost sagging attendance in their early NBA years, the Pacers re-acquired McGinnis by trading away young forward Alex English. However, McGinnis was beyond his prime, averaging a comparatively low 13.1 points per game during the 1980-81 NBA season, and was unable to help the Pacers past their first round matchup against the 76ers in the 1981 NBA Playoffs, only scoring ten points in the two-game series, while English went on to be a multiple time all-star and franchise player for the Nuggets. By March 1982, he was asked about his state of play: "Being the type of sensitive person I am, if I don't feel good vibes from the people I'm playing for, I don't shoot well, I don't pass well, I don't do nothing well. If I'd had the inner strength, there's no telling what I would have done.... It hasn't been easy for me."

At the end of the 1982 season, the Pacers called McGinnis to say that they were not going to re-sign him. He never played again, essentially retiring at the age of 31.

Legacy

McGinnis is one of four players (the others are Roger Brown, Reggie Miller, and Mel Daniels) to have his jersey (No. 30) retired by the Pacers. All four are also members of the Basketball Hall of Fame.

On April 1, 2017, it was announced that McGinnis was part of the 2017 class for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, alongside Tracy McGrady, Bill Self, and Rebecca Lobo. He was inducted on September 8.

Personal life

McGinnis married Lynda Dotson in 1976, and they were together until her death in 2019.

McGinnis's health declined in his last years, primarily due to back problems that required multiple surgeries.

Career statistics

ABA/NBA

Source

Regular season

|- | 73 || || 29.8 || .465 || .158 || .645 || 9.7 || 1.9 || || || 16.5 |- | 82 || || 40.8 || .495 || .250 || .665 || 12.5 || 2.5 || 2.0 || || 27.6 |- | 80 || || 40.8 || .468 || .147 || .683 || 15.0 || 3.3 || 2.0 || .5 || 25.9 |- | 79 || || 40.4 || .451 || .354 || .724 || 14.3 || 6.3 || 2.6 || .7 || style="background:#cfecec;|29.8* |- | 77 || 77 || 38.3 || .417 || || .740 || 12.6 || 4.7 || 2.6 || .5 || 23.0 |- | 79 || 78 || 35.1 || .458 || || .681 || 11.5 || 3.8 || 2.1 || .5 || 21.4 |- | 78 || 76 || 32.5 || .463 || || .716 || 10.4 || 3.8 || 1.8 || .3 || 20.3 |- | 76 || || 33.6 || .474 || || .665 || 11.4 || 3.7 || 1.7 || .7 || 22.6 |- | 45 || || 31.6 || .459 || .143 || .541 || 10.3 || 4.9 || 1.5 || .4 || 15.6 |- | 28 || || 28.0 || .437 || .125 || .575 || 8.5 || 4.0 || 1.1 || .2 || 13.2 |- | 69 || || 26.7 || .453 || .000 || .538 || 7.7 || 3.0 || 1.4 || .4 || 13.1 |- | 76 || 4 || 17.6 || .373 || .000 || .453 || 5.2 || 2.7 || 1.3 || .4 || 4.7 |- class="sortbottom" | 314 || || 38.2 || .470 || .290 || .682 || 12.9 || 3.5 || 2.2 || .6 || 25.2 |- class="sortbottom" | 528 || 235 || 30.7 || .448 || .080 || .651 || 9.8 || 3.8 || 1.7 || .4 || 17.2 |- class="sortbottom" | 842 || 235 || 33.5 || .458 || .273 || .664 || 11.0 || 3.7 || 1.9 || .5 || 20.2 |- class="sortbottom" | 3 || || 32.0 || .460 || .000 || .529 || 12.7 || 2.7 || 1.7 || .7 || 18.3 |- class="sortbottom" | 3 || 2 || 23.3 || .367 || || .471 || 6.7 || 2.3 || 3.0 || .0 || 10.0 |- class="sortbottom" | 6 || 2 || 27.7 || .425 || .000 || .500 || 9.7 || 2.5 || 2.3 || .3 || 14.2

Playoffs

|- | 20 || || 31.7 || .406 || .267 || .627 || 11.4 || 2.6 || || || 15.5 |- | 18 || || 40.6 || .451 || .000 || .732 || 12.3 || 2.2 || || || 23.9 |- | 14 || || 41.8 || .456 || .286 || .744 || 11.9 || 3.4 || 1.1 || .4 || 24.0 |- | 18 || || 40.6 || .468 || .315 || .688 || 15.9 || 8.2 || 2.0 || .6 || 32.3 |- | 3 || || 40.0 || .475 || || .611 || 13.7 || 4.0 || .3 || 1.3 || 23.0 |- | 19 || || 31.7 || .374 || || .570 || 10.4 || 3.6 || 1.2 || .3 || 14.2 |- | 10 || || 27.3 || .424 || || .837 || 7.8 || 3.0 || 1.5 || .1 || 14.7 |- | 2 || || 19.5 || .200 || – || .500 || 5.0 || 3.5 || 1.0 || .0 || 5.0 |- class="sortbottom" | 70 || || 38.3 || .449 || .290 || .695 || 12.9 || 4.1 || 1.6 || .5 || 23.7 |- class="sortbottom" | 34 || || 30.4 || .395 || – || .640 || 9.6 || 3.5 || 1.2 || .3 || 14.6 |- class="sortbottom" | 104 || || 35.7 || .435 || .290 || .682 || 11.8 || 3.9 || 1.4 || .4 || 20.7

ABA and NBA achievements

• Member of the 1972 and 1973 Indiana Pacers ABA championship teams.
• 1973 ABA Playoffs MVP.
• Second Team All-ABA selection in 1973.
• Two All-ABA First Team selections (1974–1975).
• Three ABA All-Star selections (1973–1975).
• Selected as ABA Co-MVP, with Julius Erving, in 1975.
• Won the ABA scoring title in 1975.
• Recorded 14 known triple-doubles in the ABA, including 5 playoff triple-doubles, both of which are more than anyone else during the league's lifespan.
• Led the NBA in triple-doubles with a total of 5 during the 1975–76 season, along with Alvan Adams of the Phoenix Suns and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar of the Los Angeles Lakers.
• First Team All-NBA selection in 1976.
• Second Team All-NBA selection in 1977.
• Three NBA All-Star selections (1976, 1977, and 1979).
• Member of the ABA's All-Time Team.
• Number retired by Indiana Pacers.
• Inducted into Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in September 2017.
• Inducted into IU Athletics Hall of Fame in September 2023.

References

References

1. Araton, Harvey. (December 14, 2023). "George McGinnis Dies at 73; Powered His Way to Basketball Stardom". [[The New York Times]].
2. Montieth, Mark. (January 25, 2017). "For Keller and McGinnis, Memories of Winning State Never Faded". NBA Media Ventures.
3. Siegel, Brett. (August 12, 2022). "On This Day In NBA History: August 12 – Indiana Pacers Hall-Of-Famer Is Born".
4. (December 14, 2023). "'The very definition of an Indiana basketball legend' {{!}} George McGinnis dies at 73".
5. "30 things to know about George McGinnis – MARK MONTIETH".
6. "Doyel: Was NBA basketball Hall of Famer George McGinnis better at football?".
7. Byrne, Matthew. (September 23, 2023). "Indiana Athletics Hall of Fame Inducts Six New Members in Class of 2023".
8. Brodess, Doug. "College Basketball: Top 10 Performances in Kentucky vs. Indiana History".
9. Kelly, Jared. (December 14, 2023). "Indiana basketball legend George McGinnis passes away at 73: 'Rest easy Big Mac'".
10. Cruz, Mike. (December 14, 2023). "Pacers release statement on Hall of Famer George McGinnis' passing".
11. Boyd, Herb. (December 21, 2023). "Hall of Famer, George McGinnis".
12. Herbert, James. (December 14, 2023). "George McGinnis dies at 73: Basketball Hall of Famer starred for Pacers, others in NBA and ABA".
13. "1975 ABA Western Division Semifinals Game 4: Spurs vs Pacers, April 12, 1975 {{!}} Basketball-Reference.com".
14. (December 14, 2023). "Pacers legend McGinnis dead at 73".
15. Marot, Michael. (December 14, 2023). "Two-time ABA champion and Indiana Mr. Basketball winner George McGinnis dies at 73".
16. "1975 ABA Western Division Semifinals – Pacers vs. Spurs".
17. "1975 ABA Western Division Finals – Pacers vs. Nuggets".
18. Quinn, Sam. (May 15, 2022). "Giannis Antetokounmpo posts historic series numbers despite Bucks' second-round loss to Celtics".
19. "1975 ABA Playoffs Summary {{!}} Basketball-Reference.com".
20. "Nikola Jokić Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft Status and more {{!}} Basketball-Reference.com".
21. Wright, Michael C.. (June 13, 2023). "Nikola Jokic's resume after winning 2023 Finals MVP".
22. Goldaper, Sam. (October 22, 1974). "McGinnis Slips Out of Knick Grasp Again". [[The New York Times]].
23. Goldaper, Sam. (July 11, 1975). "McGinnis Signs $3.2-Million 76er Pact". [[The New York Times]].
24. Goldaper, Sam. (May 28, 1975). "Hearing Set On Suit by McGinnis". [[The New York Times]].
25. Goldaper, Sam. (May 31, 1975). "Knicks Sign McGinnis; 76ers Label It 'Piracy'". [[The New York Times]].
26. Koppett, Leonard. (June 6, 1975). "Knicks' Signing of McGinnis Revoked; Hawks Fined $400,000 in Erving Case". [[The New York Times]].
27. Newman, Bruce. (March 1, 1982). "Oh, What Might Have Been".
28. Levick, Noah. (May 9, 2020). "The 5 Best Sixers Starting 5s of All Time".
29. "1976–77 Philadelphia 76ers Roster and Stats".
30. Siegel, Brett. (August 16, 2022). "On This Day In NBA History: August 16 – Nuggets and Sixers Swap Hall-of-Famers".
31. "George McGinnis Career High 43 Points".
32. (February 2, 1980). "Pacers Reacquire McGinnis in Nugget Deal; Good Years With Pacers". [[The New York Times]].
33. "George McGinnis".
34. "1980–81 Indiana Pacers Roster and Stats".
35. "1981 NBA Eastern Conference First Round – Pacers vs. 76ers".
36. Juskewycz, Nick. (August 16, 2013). "Ranking the Top 25 Players in Denver Nuggets History".
37. (November 6, 1985). "Kokomo Tribune Newspaper Archives, Nov 6, 1985, p. 15".
38. Mathur, Ashish. (May 30, 2020). "Pacers: Every jersey number retired in franchise history".
39. (April 1, 2017). "McGrady, Self, Lobo headline 2017 HOF class".
40. Marot, Michael. (December 14, 2023). "Two-time ABA champion and Indiana Mr. Basketball winner George McGinnis dies at 73".
41. (December 14, 2023). "Hall of Famer, ABA champion George McGinnis dies at 73".
42. Fowler, Ashley. (December 14, 2023). "Indiana Pacers legend, Washington HS hoops star George McGinnis dies at 73".
43. [https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5137026/2023/12/14/george-mcginnis-death-pacers/ George McGinnis, Pacers legend and ABA champion, dies at 73] , The Athletic
44. "George McGinnis ABA/NBA Stats". Sports Reference LLC.
45. "NBA & ABA Single Season Leaders and Records for Triple-Doubles {{!}} Basketball-Reference.com".
46. "McGinnis Takes Rightful Spot in Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame".
47. (September 22, 2023). "McGinnis, Rink Enshrined in IU Athletics Hall of Fame".