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There were a lot of great players that came to the NBA after the ABA-NBA merger in 1976. One who is kind of overlooked now is George McGinnis.
He played at Indiana in the early ‘70s. We’re pretty sure he left the year before Bob Knight arrived but he may have played for the General for a year.
It seems an odd match. Knight had very specific ideas about what players should be and on the court at least, McGinnis was a free spirit and maybe not as focused on fundamentals and defense as Knight would have liked.
His greatest fame came when he signed with Philadelphia which would acquire Julius Erving as well.
For a time, the pairing of the two very different forwards seemed inspired. Both were individualistic with very unique styles.
McGinnis was much more powerful than Erving. He developed a unique one-handed jump shot that you’ll see here. He could shoot from outside, but was basically a power player.
His career declined after being traded to Denver for Bobby Jones, Ralph Simpson and a future first round pick.
Jones would be an ideal front court partner for Erving and, later, Moses Malone.
McGinnis would be out of the league by 1982 but would later be voted into the Hall of Fame.