George McGinnis is somewhat forgotten today, and that’s really too bad, because he was a heck of a player.
After growing up in Indianapolis, McGinnis chose Indiana, where he averaged 29.9 ppg as a sophomore in 1970-71.
He left for the ABA, missing playing for Bob Knight by a single season.
As an Indiana Pacer, McGinnis helped that team win two titles in his first two seasons.
After some legal entanglements, he joined the Philadelphia 76ers in 1975, and when Philly acquired Julius Erving in 1976, the table was set for one of the most entertaining teams in basketball history.
Aside from McGinnis and Erving, Philly also had Doug Collins, Darryl Dawkins, Lloyd Free (later known as World B. Free), Joe Bryant, father of Kobe, and Steve Mix.
The following year, the Philadelphia 76ers would take on Bill Walton’s Portland Trail Blazers in an epic NBA Finals, losing to Portland, 4-2.
Portland proved to be the better team, but Philadelphia was immensely talented, and McGinnis was a huge part of that team’s success.
Among his many talents – he was also a superb rebounder – McGinnis had a highly unusual shot: he would start with a fairly standard form, then his left hand would fall away, and in the end, he shot with just his right hand.
He did have fairly large hands, and could double-clutch with just his right hand.
In 1978, Philadelphia traded him to Denver for Bobby Jones and Ralph Simpson. He played well for the Nuggets until injuries began to slow him down.
He was traded back to Indiana in 1980, but by then, McGinnis was past his prime.
During his prime, though, he was a spectacular player, and unlike anyone else.
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