Basketball Legend George McGinnis Dies at 73

by Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent @StacyBrownMedia   12/15/2023

NBA Hall of Famer George McGinnis has died at 73. According to the Indiana Pacers organization, the legendary player, who won two ABA championships with the team and later made a name for himself in the NBA, died Thursday morning. McGinnis had been hospitalized following a cardiac arrest at his residence last week.

The Simon family and Pacers Sports & Entertainment expressed their condolences while highlighting McGinnis’s profound impact on the basketball community. “George McGinnis shaped so many of the fondest basketball memories for generations of Hoosiers. He was the very definition of an Indiana basketball legend, a champion, and Hall of Fame athlete. But he was more than that. George was family,” the statement read.

Recognized for his exceptional contributions to the Pacers, McGinnis played a pivotal role during his two stints in the ABA and NBA Finals. His illustrious career included ABA titles with the Pacers in 1972 and 1973, with McGinnis earning playoff MVP honors during the latter championship run. The basketball maestro was also honored as the ABA co-MVP in the 1974–75 season with the legendary Julius Erving after achieving a career-high average of 29.8 points per game.

McGinnis transitioned to the NBA in 1975, joining the Philadelphia 76ers, where he earned consecutive All-Star nods before departing in 1978. Before retiring with the Pacers in 1982, he had a brief stint with the Denver Nuggets (1978–80) and received another All-Star selection.

The basketball world formally recognized his monumental impact on the sport with his induction into the Naismith Hall of Fame in 2017, and the Pacers honored him by retiring his jersey number, No. 30.

Before turning pro, McGinnis was a third-team All-American at Indiana University in 1970–71, leading the Big Ten in scoring and rebounding.