George Mikan changed the type of athlete that played basketball. Originally basketball was played by small, fast athletes. But with the arrival of 6-10 Mikan the game would swing towards tall players with good coordination.

Mikan would place 9 years in the NBA/ABA, most with the Minnesota Lakers where he would help create the first NBA dynasty with the Lakers. They would win 7 championships together.

Mikan was voted the greatest basketball player of the first half century of the 1900s. A hugely impactful player on the sport of basketball that made room for Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem-Abdul Jabbar.