Former NBA and ABA star George McGinnis has died at age 73, the Pacers announced on Thursday in a press release. McGinnis passed away early on Thursday morning due to complications from a cardiac arrest he suffered last week.
An Indianapolis native, McGinnis played his college ball with the Hoosiers, then joined the Pacers in 1971. He helped the franchise claim a pair of ABA championships in 1972 and 1973, earning three ABA All-Star nods from 1973-75 and co-MVP honors (with Julius Erving) in ’75, when he led the league in scoring.
McGinnis later moved to the NBA and teamed up with Erving in Philadelphia, playing for the Sixers from 1975-78. He made two All-Star teams as a 76er and one more with the Nuggets in 1979 before rejoining the Pacers from 1980-82 to finish his playing career.
In 842 career NBA and ABA games, McGinnis scored 17,009 points and grabbed 9,233 rebounds, good for a double-double average (20.2 PPG, 11.0 RPG). He was inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame as a player in 2017.
As the Pacers’ press release notes, McGinnis is one of four players in franchise history to have his number (No. 30) retired. Reggie Miller (31), Mel Daniels (34) and Roger Brown (35) are the others.
Our condolences go out to McGinnis’ friends and family.
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