Hall of Fame Basketball Legend George McGinnis Dies at 73

George McGinnis, a Hall of Famer who played for the Indiana Pacers, Philadelphia 76ers, and Denver Nuggets in the 1970s, died Thursday morning at the age of 73. The Pacers issued a statement, saying that McGinnis suffered a cardiac arrest last week and “was taken to Community North Hospital where family, friends and former teammates maintained a vigil of support until his passing.” McGinnis won an ABA championship, a basketball league that became the NBA after a merger in 1976, with the Pacers in his rookie season. CBS Sports reported that McGinnis was one of only 20 players who made the All-Star team in both the ABA and NBA. In a 1975 article by Sports Illustrated, McGinnis said, “Rims bend, bones break,” after he broke his third basket rim while dunking, and in a 1982 story by the same magazine, the star athlete said, “When I came into the ABA, I was like a god. I felt there was no one who was ever going to stop me, that I was going to be a dominant force every time I took the court.” Current Indiana Pacers head coach Richard Carlisle said, “He was the ultimate combination of brute physical strength and amazing skill. He had hands that were probably as big… as I’ve ever seen a player have.”

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