By: Ethan Rogers
Elvis Parra is an avid sports fan. When he is not spearheading daily operations as the operations manager of Prestige Trucking Express in Newark, New Jersey, he enjoys playing basketball several times a week and following the National Basketball Association (NBA). Elvis Parra is a particularly big fan of the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Lakers are one of the most successful franchises in the NBA. The team has won 17 championships, second only to the Boston Celtics’ 18 NBA Finals victories. Over nearly eight decades, the Lakers have fielded rosters with several of the league’s all-time great players, including Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant, and, more recently, LeBron James. Because of the widespread individual and team success in L.A., basketball fans sometimes forget the accomplishments of the first Laker great, George Mikan.
A center out of DePaul, Mikan ranks No. 5 in all-time win shares among Lakers, at 108.7. Mikan’s professional career spanned just seven years. Despite his relatively short playing time, Mikan retired as one of the NBA’s most decorated champions.
At age 24, Mikan joined the Basketball Association of America during the 1948-1949 season and immediately impacted the then-Minneapolis Lakers. He led the league in field goals made, free throws made and attempted, and points, averaging 28.3 points per game. It was the first of three consecutive scoring awards for Mikan. His individual accomplishments translated to team success, with the Lakers defeating the Washington Capitols to earn the franchise its first championship.
The Lakers joined the NBA the following season, a transition that did not affect Mikan’s production or the team’s accomplishments. Mikan averaged 27.4 points per game and again led the league in several offensive categories. He made the All-NBA First Team, as he would for the majority of his NBA career. Mikan led the Lakers to the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history and led all scorers in each of the six games against the Syracuse Nationals, including a 40-point Game 6 that the Lakers won 110-95, securing the championship.
During the 1950-1951 season, Mikan averaged a career-high 28.4 points per game. In addition to claiming the scoring title and making the All-NBA First Team, he received the first of four straight All-Star team nominations. The Lakers finished the season with the best record in their division but fell in the playoffs to the Rochester Royals, Mikan’s first postseason loss.
Despite an accumulation of injuries, Mikan continued to put up huge numbers for the Lakers. In addition to his scoring, he led the league in rebounding in 1951-1952 and 1952-1953, highlighted by a career-best 14.4 rebounds per game in his fifth season. The Lakers won two more championships in those seasons, bringing the franchise total to four championships in five years. Mikan’s career achievements include the All-Star Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award for 1952-1953 and the league’s first two MVP Awards, for 1950 and 1951.
Mikan initially retired after the 1953-1954 season due to injuries and a desire to spend time with his family. He closed out his career in winning fashion, leading the Lakers to another championship. He had multiple 30-point games during the seven-game series against the Nationals. Mikan briefly returned to the NBA in a limited role during the 1955-1956 season, but the Lakers did not make the NBA Finals.
