George McGinnis
Teams
Indiana Pacers - 1971-75 (ABA), 1980-82 (NBA)
Philadelphia 76ers - 1975-78
Denver Nuggets - 1978-80
Playoffs
Appearances - 8 (1972,1973,1974,1975,1976,1977,1978,1981)
Conference Finals - 6 (1972,1973,1974,1975,1977,1978)
ABA/NBA Finals - 4 (1972,1973,1975,1977)
Championships - 2 (1972,1973)
Awards and Honors
All-ABA/NBA First Team - 3 (1973,1974,1975,1976)
All-ABA/NBA Second Team - 2 (1973,1976,1977)
ABA MVP - 1 (1975)
ABA Finals MVP - 1 (1973)
Hall of Fame - 2017
*(actual in bold, deserved in italics)
All-Time Ranks
Steals Per Game - #25
Rebounds Per Game - #37
Total Steals - #55
Total Rebounds - #58
Points Per Game - #65
League Leads
Total Points (#1-1975, #3-1973,1974, #5-1976)
Total Rebounds (#2-1974, #3-1973, #5-1975)
Points Per Game (#1-1975, #2-1973,1974)
Rebounds Per Game (#2-1974, #4-1973, #5-1975)
Total Steals (#2-1975, #4-1976)
Steals Per Game (#2-1975,1976)
Total Assists (#3-1975)
Field Goal Percentage (#5-1973)
Three-Point Percentage (#4-1975)
Assists Per Game (#3-1975)
Three-Pointers Made (#2-1975)
George McGinnis played only one season of college basketball at Indiana, putting up amazing averages of 30.0 points and 14.7 rebounds, before leaving school to sign with the Indiana Pacers of the ABA.
He made an impact immediately as a pro, averaging 16.9 points and 9.7 rebounds as a rookie, and his first season ended with his first championship. In his second season, he was named to the All-ABA Second Team, though he deserved to be on the First, with averages of 27.6 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 2.0 steals per game, and he led the Pacers to a championship repeat and was named the Finals MVP.
After that season, McGinnis was drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers in the second round of the NBA Draft. He decided to resign with the Pacers instead for another 2 years, and he was dominant in those two seasons. In 1974-75, he was named the ABA MVP after leading the league in scoring with 29.8 per game, coming in fifth in rebounding at 14.3, #3 in assists at 6.3, and #2 in steals at 2.6. All but the rebounding average were the highest of his career.
In that season's playoffs, McGinnis was even more dominant, averaging 32.3 points, 15.9 rebounds, and 8.2 assists per game while leading the Pacers to the Finals for the third time in 4 years, but they fell to the Kentucky Colonels in a disappointing 5-game series for Indiana.
After the season, with the end of the ABA in sight, McGinnis decided to jump to the NBA, signing with the New York Knicks, but the contract was invalidated because the 76ers still held his draft rights, so he signed with Philly instead. He averaged 23.0 points and 12.6 rebounds in his first season with the 76ers, and was named to the All-NBA First Team, becoming one of just 6 players to receive that honor in both leagues.
The team traded for Julius Erving the next season, and the pair of superstars led Philadelphia to the NBA Finals, where they fell to the Trail Blazers after McGinnis only managed to average 13 points per game, well below his 21.4 average in the regular season. After one more season with the 76ers, he was traded to Denver, where he had one more really good season, averaging 22.6 points and 11.4 rebounds for the Nuggets.
He was traded back to the Pacers midway through the next season, but he was no longer the same player. He played a little more than 2 years with the Pacers in his second stint in his hometown, but after averaging only 4.7 points per game in 1982, he was released by the Pacers and his career came to an end.
McGinnis rose to superstardom very quickly, then continued to play at a high level for several years after transitioning to the NBA, but then he declined just as quickly as he rose. His final season in the ABA was one of the most dominant in history, and though his career was not long, he is definitely one of the greatest to ever play the game.
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