George McGinnis, Indiana basketball icon and Hall of Famer, dies at 73

The Hall of Fame Indiana Pacers player George McGinnis died at 73. The Pacers confirmed Thursday morning that McGinnis died from heart arrest complications last week.

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Indiana-born McGinnis played high school, college, and professional basketball there. He won several titles with the Pacers in the ABA and flourished after the ABA amalgamated with the NBA.

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After retiring from professional basketball, he became a wealthy Indiana businessman and played collegiate and professional basketball.

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McGinnis was born in Harpersville, Alabama, in 1950 to sharecropper parents Willie and Burnie. They moved to Indianapolis, their first time, to improve George and Bonnie's lives.

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McInnis' legendary career began at Indianapolis' Washington High School, where he led the squad to a 31-0 season and a state title in 1969.

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Despite "hundreds" of football scholarship offers, he chose basketball despite his tight end and defensive end performances. McGinnis was a third-team All-American at Indiana University.

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McGinnis helped the Pacers win ABA crowns in 1972 and 1973 in four years. He was playoff MVP in 1973, an ABA All-Star three times, and ABA MVP with Julius Erving a couple years later.

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In 1985, Pacers retired McGinnis' No. 30. At his 2017 induction into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, McGinnis was compared to LeBron James' 2010s impact on the game for his physical growth.

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Erving observed, "He was built like Superman," during McGinnis' Hall of Fame induction. "Until LeBron came along, you never saw another guy that had George's physical abilities on a basketball court."

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Although the burial ceremonies for McGinnis will be held in private, the Pacers announced on Thursday that they will remember him with a celebration of life in the year 2024.

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George McGinnis, Indiana basketball icon and Hall of Famer, dies at 73

The Hall of Fame Indiana Pacers player George McGinnis died at 73. The Pacers confirmed Thursday morning that McGinnis died from heart arrest complications last week.

Indiana-born McGinnis played high school, college, and professional basketball there. He won several titles with the Pacers in the ABA and flourished after the ABA amalgamated with the NBA.

After retiring from professional basketball, he became a wealthy Indiana businessman and played collegiate and professional basketball.

McGinnis was born in Harpersville, Alabama, in 1950 to sharecropper parents Willie and Burnie. They moved to Indianapolis, their first time, to improve George and Bonnie's lives.

McInnis' legendary career began at Indianapolis' Washington High School, where he led the squad to a 31-0 season and a state title in 1969.

Despite "hundreds" of football scholarship offers, he chose basketball despite his tight end and defensive end performances. McGinnis was a third-team All-American at Indiana University.

McGinnis helped the Pacers win ABA crowns in 1972 and 1973 in four years. He was playoff MVP in 1973, an ABA All-Star three times, and ABA MVP with Julius Erving a couple years later.

In 1985, Pacers retired McGinnis' No. 30. At his 2017 induction into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, McGinnis was compared to LeBron James' 2010s impact on the game for his physical growth.

Erving observed, "He was built like Superman," during McGinnis' Hall of Fame induction. "Until LeBron came along, you never saw another guy that had George's physical abilities on a basketball court."

Although the burial ceremonies for McGinnis will be held in private, the Pacers announced on Thursday that they will remember him with a celebration of life in the year 2024.

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