The first real big man in the NBA!

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Major Career Highlights

• 5× NBA Champion (1949, 1950, 1952, 1953, 1954)

• 2× NBL Champion (1947, 1948) before the NBA formed

• 3× NBA Scoring Champion (1949–1951)

• 6× All-NBA First Team (1949–1954)

• 4× NBA All-Star (1951–1954)

• NBA All-Star Game MVP (1953)

• NBA 75th Anniversary Team

• NBA 25th, 35th, and 50th Anniversary Teams

Statistical Highlights

• Career averages:
  ▸ 23.1 points per game
  ▸ 13.4 rebounds per game (rebounds only recorded after 1950)

• Led the league in rebounding in 1953

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Legacy

• First truly dominant big man in pro basketball history

• Helped shape the NBA, leading to rule changes like:

  • Goaltending rule

  • Widening of the lane (“The Mikan Rule”) to reduce his dominance

• Instrumental in the success of the Minneapolis Lakers, the NBA’s first dynasty

• Inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame (1959, charter class)

• First president of the ABA, helping launch the rival league to the NBA