Lakers retire No. 99 for George Mikan, the NBA’s first leading big man A statue of Mikan greets fans at the Target Center in Minneapolis where the Timberwolves play.

The Los Angeles Lakers will retire five-time NBA champion George Mikan's jersey Oct. 30. Mikan played for the Minneapolis Lakers and was selected to four All-Star games.

Mikan, nicknamed "Mr. Basketball," played with the Lakers back when they were located in Minneapolis, and helped bring six championships to the franchise from 1947 to 1954.

George Mikan doesn’t necessarily come to mind, and it’s mostly because he played for the Minneapolis iteration of the Lakers during the NBA’s infancy in the late 1940s and 1950s.

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A statue of Mikan greets fans at the Target Center in Minneapolis where the Timberwolves play. Nonetheless, the Lakers consider him a part of ... Lakers retire No. 99 for George Mikan, the ...