Mr. Basketball: George Mikan, the Minneapolis Lakers, and the Birth of the NBA

The definitive biography of the first dominant big man in professional basketball, published on the sixtieth anniversary of his debut with the Minneapolis Lakers. Before Shaquille O'Neal and before Bill Russell, there was George Mikan, a six-foot-ten, 240-pound center, whose quiet demeanor and bespectacled face belied his competitive fire. A four-time All-American at DePaul and a six-time professional champion, Mikan was such an unstoppable force--and a national sensation--that, when his Minneapolis Lakers played the New York Knickerbockers in 1949, the marquee outside Madison Square Garden read simply, "George Mikan vs. Knicks." Drawing on extensive interviews--with former teammates, opponents, coaches, friends, and rivals--critically acclaimed author Michael Schumacher reveals, for the first time, a wonderfully nuanced portrait of one of the most unheralded athletes of our time, and a fascinating look at the birth of the National Basketball Association.