Hall of Famer, ABA champ McGinnis dies at 73

George McGinnis, a Hall of Fame forward who was a two-time ABA champion and three-time All-Star in both the NBA and ABA, has died at the age of 73.

The Indiana Pacers said McGinnis died early Thursday morning following complications from a cardiac arrest suffered last week at his home. McGinnis also struggled to walk in recent years after undergoing multiple back surgeries because of a hereditary condition.

His uniquely deep, deliberate voice, warm personality and passion for the sport helped McGinnis create a tight bond with the fans around his basketball-rich home state of Indiana. They watched McGinnis’ development from Indianapolis prep star into an unstoppable force in his one and only college season at Indiana before eventually taking the Pacers to those two titles.

“George McGinnis shaped so many of the fondest basketball memories for generations of Hoosiers,” the Simon family and Pacers Sports & Entertainment said in a statement. “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. A passionate advocate for his fellow ABA players and a present, smiling face around the franchise, George has been as synonymous with our Pacers franchise as anyone. He will be greatly missed.”

Remembering George McGinnis:

?? Indiana Mr. Basketball
?? IU All-American
?? 2x ABA Champion
?? 3x ABA All-Star
?? 3x NBA All-Star
?? Hall of Famer

Legend ? pic.twitter.com/4zviz4HIdo

— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) December 14, 2023

McGinnis put together a sterling résumé few could match — even today.

It all started with McGinnis taking advantage of Spencer Haywood’s Supreme Court victory in 1971 that allowed underclassmen to turn pro based on a hardship case.

McGinnis wound up signing with his hometown team, two years after his father had been killed when he fell off a scaffold while working as a carpenter. McGinnis’ trademark one-handed jump shot helped him become an instant cornerstone in Indiana’s two title runs as well as the Philadelphia 76ers’ turnaround in the mid-1970s.

He earned multiple all-ABA and all-NBA honors and was named the 1973 ABA playoff MVP in just his second pro season. After making the ABA’s all-rookie team in 1971-72, he took home all-NBA honors in his first season (1975-76) in the more established league.

McGinnis’ best season came in 1974-75 when he won the ABA scoring title (29.8 PPG) and finished second in steals (2.6 SPG), third in assists (6.3 APG) and fifth in rebounds (14.3 RPG). He shared the league’s MVP Award with Hall of Famer Julius Erving, his future teammate in Philadelphia.

For McGinnis, it was just the warmup to a historic playoff performance that included a 51-point, 17-rebound, 10-assist triple-double and two series in which he topped 200 points, 100 rebounds and 50 assists. Although he didn’t win a third title, he was the playoff leader in scoring (581 points), rebounding (286) and assists (148).

Those numbers helped fuel McGinnis’ next trailblazing effort: switching leagues on his terms.

With the ABA struggling financially and the 76ers still holding his contractual rights two years after drafting him in 1973, McGinnis was advised to pursue more money in the NBA. McGinnis wanted to negotiate with a team of his choosing and initially signed a six-year, $2.4 million contract with the New York Knicks.

When NBA commissioner Larry O’Brien voided the deal and punished the Knicks, McGinnis accepted a six-year, $3.2 million contract with the 76ers that included no?cut, no?trade and no-option clauses.

He spent the next three seasons with the 76ers, helping them end a four-year playoff drought as home attendance increased by more than 5,000 per game in his first season. The next season, with Erving, the 76ers reached the NBA Finals before losing to the Portland Trail Blazers in six games.

McGinnis was traded to the Denver Nuggets in 1978 but was dealt back to the Pacers midway through the 1979-80 season. He finished his 11-year career with 2½ more seasons back home in Indiana.

Across the ABA and NBA, McGinnis had 17,009 points, 9,233 rebounds and 3,089 assists in his career and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2017.

At Indiana, he became the first sophomore to lead the Big Ten in scoring (29.9 PPG) and rebounding (14.7 RPG), earning third-team All-America honors after sitting out his freshman season because NCAA rules prohibited freshmen from competing.

At Indianapolis Washington High School, McGinnis won the state’s coveted Mr. Basketball Award and Mr. Basketball USA in 1969 while leading his school to the 1968-69 state championship. Washington was just the third undefeated state titlist in Indiana history.

McGinnis also is a member of Indiana’s athletic Hall of Fame and is one of four former Pacers players to have his jersey number retired.

The Pacers said McGinnis would have a private burial and that a celebration of life would be held next year.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.