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Mikan George Biography

American basketball player, a center originally with the Chicago Bears of the NBL, but most notably with the Minnesota Lakers. He was the original archetypal pro basketball star, 6 ft 10 inches tall. Mikan won seven Championships in three different leagues, Hall of Fame, NBA 25th, 35th and 50th Anniversary All-Time Team. Originally awkward and shy, Mikan practiced long and hard to make it to All American. After his retirement from pro basketball, Mikan became a corporate and real estate lawyer. In addition, he owned a travel agency and made an unsuccessful bid for a Congressional seat. From 1967-1969, he was the first commissioner of the American Basketball Association. He and his wife had six children. He suffered from diabetes and in the late 1990s had a leg amputated. The Minneapolis Lakers superstar died at age 80 on June 1, 2005 at a Scottsdale, Arizona rehabilitation center. He had been suffering from kidney failure and other complications of diabetes and died just two weeks before his 81st birthday. Link to Wikipedia biography Read less