The definitive biography of the first dominant big man in professional basketball published on the sixtieth anniversary of his debut with the Minneapolis Lakers. Before Shaquille O Neal and before Bill Russell there was George Mikan a six-foot-ten 240-pound center whose quiet demeanor and bespectacled face belied his competitive fire. A four-time All-American at DePaul and a six-time professional champion Mikan was such an unstoppable force--and a national sensation--that when his Minneapolis Lakers played the New York Knickerbockers in 1949 the marquee outside Madison Square Garden read simply George Mikan vs. Knicks. Drawing on extensive interviews--with former teammates opponents coaches friends and rivals--critically acclaimed author Michael Schumacher reveals for the first time a wonderfully nuanced portrait of one of the most unheralded athletes of our time and a fascinating look at the birth of the National Basketball Association.