The Indiana Pacers just announced the passing of team legend George McGinnis.
The two-time ABA champion died at the age of 73.
We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of Hall of Famer George McGinnis.
"[George] was the very definition of an Indiana basketball legend, a champion, and Hall of Fame athlete. But he was more than that. George was family."https://t.co/EKs4rs4Ljb pic.twitter.com/UDPSl1fgm9
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) December 14, 2023
He had been in the hospital after suffering cardiac arrest last week.
During his playing days, McGinnis thrived with the Pacers, both in the ABA and the NBA.
He led the team to a couple of ABA titles in 1972 and 1973, earning playoff MVP honors in his second title.
He was also named the league’s co-MVP the following season, averaging a career-high 29.8 points per game and sharing the award with the legendary Julius ‘Dr. J’ Erving, so that lets you know just how good he was in his heyday.
The talented power forward joined the NBA with the Philadelphia 76ers after his ABA MVP season, earning back-to-back All-Star nods before being traded to the Denver Nuggets, where he’d become an All-Star again before heading back home to finish his career with the Pacers.
A Hall of Famer of the class of 2017, the Pacers eventually retired his No. 30 jersey.
He always stayed close to the organization and was considered to be one of the greatest players in ABA history.
Throughout the course of his career, McGinnis scored 17,009 points, grabbed 9,233 rebounds, and handed out 3,089 assists, averaging 20.2 PPG, 11.0 RPG, and 3.7 APG.
While not the most popular player for modern fans, his smooth footwork and sweet scoring touch made him a major scoring threat.
His athleticism and ability to dominate both sides of the glass helped him make up for his rather lanky frame, and he’ll be dearly missed by the basketball community.
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