“R.I.P to an Amazing Mentor/Ambassador”: Pacers Star Joins Reggie Miller and NBA World to mourn Hall-of-Famer George McGinnis’ Demise

“It’s hard growing up in Indiana and not falling in love with the game of basketball,” Pacers icon George McGinnis said during his Hall of Fame induction in 2017. The Indiana great passed away on December 14 aged 73, leaving the Hoosier State in mourning. Big Mac had a lasting impact on generations of NBA players on the back of his legendary career. Tributes have been pouring in for the man who was “as physically gifted in 1970 as LeBron James was in 2010.”

The Pacers organization reported that McGinnis suffered a cardiac arrest at his home last week and was taken to Community North Hospital in Indianapolis. Loved ones, including former teammates, stayed with him till his passing on early Thursday morning. Reggie Miller, who had a stacked career with the Pacers, had some beautiful words to share.

“ANOTHER gut punch for us Hoosiers.. I’m at a loss in losing George McGinnis, my thoughts are with the family at this time. Thank you George for everything you did for me and my family, please say hello to Mel, Roger and Slick. My Guardian Angel game just got even stronger,” Miller wrote about McGinnis the Magnificent. 

When the Pacers great was enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame in 2017, Miller was one of the chosen presenters. He shares the honor of being one of the four Pacers players whose numbers were retired with McGinnis, Roger Brown, and Mel Daniels. Miller is the only surviving honoree in this exclusive club. Interestingly, McGinnis holds the Pacers’ single-game records for most points scored (58) and most rebounds (37).

Miller’s got company in mourning in Myles Turner, the current Pacers center. Turner kept it brief with, “R.I.P To An Amazing Mentor/Ambassador Around Naptown.” Not many current Pacers players have had Turner’s good fortune of meeting McGinnis. Turner called him “endearing” at the conference and was in awe of his influence in the community. He also had only positive affirmation for him that motivated him on the court.

As Miller referenced, McGinnis grew up in Indianapolis and became a local icon. Like his idol Oscar Robertson, George led his Washington High to become only the second Indianapolis high school team to go unbeaten in a season and win a championship in 1969. Moreover, he even broke the Indiana State records set by the Big O. But tragedy soon struck.

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After losing his father in a construction accident, McGinnis had to take care of his mother and sister, as they were financially struggling. Signing with the Pacers in 1973, he took his entire $15,000 signing bonus to buy a house for his mother. That was only the start of a beautiful love affair as he gave the city of Indiana countless memories to cherish. And the city is well aware of his impact.

The Indiana Pacers remember Mount George

Pacers coach, Rick Carlisle opened the pregame conference by offering his condolences to the McGinnis family. The Pacers organization also released an official statement stating they will honor McGinnis’ legacy in a memorial soon. The Pacers watch his old films where his signature moves still drop jaws.

A running joke in the team is that he didn’t have the prettiest shots (he shot using only one hand) but he made them. “Coaches have told me that my shot was the worst-looking they’d ever seen,” McGinnis told IndyStar in 2017. McGinnis was known for his physical prowess, but even more for his upbeat persona, jokes, and camaraderie.

He remained a locker room presence in his later years and as Turner said, kept the spirits up of the younger players. George ‘The Iceman’ Gervin said, “What he could do with that basketball was special.” No doubt George McGinnis had a special impact on Indianapolis.

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