George McGinnis

George McGinnis
	McGinnis with the Indiana Pacers during a game in the 1972-73 season versus the Kentucky Colonels
Personal information
Born	August 12, 1950 (age 71); Indianapolis, Indiana
Nationality	American
Listed height	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
Listed weight	235 lb (107 kg)
Career information
High school	George Washington; (Indianapolis, Indiana)
College	Indiana (1970–1971)
NBA draft	1973 / Round: 2 / Pick: 22nd overall
	Selected by the Philadelphia 76ers
Playing career	1971–1982
Position	Power forward
Number	30
Career history
1971–1975	Indiana Pacers
1975–1978	Philadelphia 76ers
1978–1980	Denver Nuggets
1980–1982	Indiana Pacers
Career highlights and awards
	2× ABA champion (1972, 1973); ABA Playoffs MVP (1973); ABA MVP (1975); 3× NBA All-Star (1976, 1977, 1979); All-NBA First Team (1976); All-NBA Second Team (1977); 3× ABA All-Star (1973–1975); 2× All-ABA First Team (1974, 1975); All-ABA Second Team (1973); ABA All-Rookie First Team (1972); ABA scoring champion (1975); ABA All-Time Team; No. 30 retired by Indiana Pacers; Third-team All-American – AP, NABC, UPI (1971); Mr. Basketball USA (1969); First-team Parade All-American (1969); Indiana Mr. Basketball (1969);
Career ABA and NBA statistics
Points	17,009 (20.2 ppg)
Rebounds	9,233 (11.0 rpg)
Assists	3,089 (3.7 apg)
	Stats at NBA.com
	Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
	Basketball Hall of Fame as player

George F. McGinnis (born August 12, 1950) is an American former professional basketball player who played 11 seasons in the American Basketball Association (ABA) and National Basketball Association (NBA). He was drafted into the ABA from Indiana University in 1971.

Early life[]

McGinnis attended Washington High School in Indianapolis. He and teammate Steve Downing led Washington to a 31–0 record and a state championship in 1969.^[1] 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.

College career[]

In the 1970–71 season at Indiana, 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 in Bloomington earning All-American and All-Big Ten Honors in 1971. He played for coach Lou Watson, the year before IU 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 playoffs games to help the Pacers repeat as champs. His best season came in 1974–75, when McGinnis scored a career-high 29.8 points per game en route to ABA MVP honors. He nearly averaged a triple-double in the playoffs that year (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.

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 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.^[2]^[3]^[4]

McGinnis made the All-NBA First Team in his debut season with the 76ers. Teaming up with fellow ABA alumni Julius Erving and Caldwell Jones, McGinnis helped lead the Sixers to the NBA Finals in 1977.

Denver Nuggets (1978-1980)[]

McGinnis was traded to the Denver Nuggets in 1978 for Bobby Jones, and was an All-Star again that season.

Return to Indiana (1980-1982)[]

Hoping to boost sagging attendance in their early NBA years, the Pacers re-acquired McGinnis in a trade for a young, high-scoring forward named Alex English. However, McGinnis was only a shadow of his former self, and contributed very little during his two-year return to Indiana. Meanwhile, English went on to become one of the most prolific scorers in NBA history.

McGinnis is one of four players (the others are Roger Brown, Reggie Miller, and Mel Daniels) to have his jersey (#30) retired by the Pacers. Now that McGinnis is inducted into Springfield, all four players are part of the Basketball Hall of Fame.

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.^[5] He was inducted on September 8.

ABA and NBA achievements[]

Member of the 1972 and 1973 Indiana Pacers ABA championship teams.
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 13 known triple-doubles in the ABA, more than anyone else during the league's lifespan.^[6]
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 Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame September 2017

^[7]

References[]

^ Montieth, Mark (January 25, 2017). "For Keller and McGinnis, Memories of Winning State Never Faded". Pacers.com. NBA Media Ventures. Retrieved December 23, 2018.
^ Goldaper, Sam. "Knicks Sign McGinnis; 76ers Label It 'Piracy,'" The New York Times, May 31, 1975. Retrieved January 27, 2020
^ Koppett, Leonard. "Knicks' Signing of McGinnis Revoked; Hawks Fined $400,000 in Erving Case," The New York Times, June 6, 1975. Retrieved January 27, 2020
^ Goldaper, Sam. "McGinnis Signs $3.2‐Million 76er Pact," The New York Times, July 11, 1975. Retrieved January 27, 2020
^ "McGrady, Self, Lobo headline 2017 HOF class". ESPN.com. April 1, 2017.
^ "George McGinnis Stats". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved May 26, 2021.
^ "McGinnis Takes Rightful Spot in Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame". Indiana University Athletics.

External links[]

Career statistics and player information from NBA.com and Basketball-Reference.com

[1] Montieth, Mark (January 25, 2017). "For Keller and McGinnis, Memories of Winning State Never Faded". Pacers.com. NBA Media Ventures. Retrieved December 23, 2018.

[2] Goldaper, Sam. "Knicks Sign McGinnis; 76ers Label It 'Piracy,'" The New York Times, May 31, 1975. Retrieved January 27, 2020

[3] Koppett, Leonard. "Knicks' Signing of McGinnis Revoked; Hawks Fined $400,000 in Erving Case," The New York Times, June 6, 1975. Retrieved January 27, 2020

[4] Goldaper, Sam. "McGinnis Signs $3.2‐Million 76er Pact," The New York Times, July 11, 1975. Retrieved January 27, 2020

[5] "McGrady, Self, Lobo headline 2017 HOF class". ESPN.com. April 1, 2017.

[6] "George McGinnis Stats". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved May 26, 2021.

[7] "McGinnis Takes Rightful Spot in Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame". Indiana University Athletics.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]