Indiana Pacers: Compiling an all-time starting 5

Power forward: George McGinnis

There are so many reasons that George McGinnis is the greatest power forward the Pacers ever had.  He grew up in Indianapolis where he led his high school to a state championship. That same season he was named Indiana’s Mr. Basketball. He then attended Indiana University to play college ball for the Hoosiers for two seasons.

From 1971-1975 McGinnis played for the Indiana Pacers in the ABA where he led the Pacers to two ABA Championships (1972 & 1973). In 1973 he was named the ABA Playoffs Most Valuable Player. In 1975 he was named the ABA Most Valuable Player.

He left the Pacers for five years and went to the NBA where he spent time with both the Philadelphia 76ers and the Denver Nuggets. In 1980 he returned to the Pacers where he finished out his career. Over his career, he averaged 20.2 points per game, 11.0 rebounds per game, and 3.7 assists per game.

His number, 30, now hangs in the rafters of Bankers Life Fieldhouse with the words Hall of Fame across the bottom as he was inducted into The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2017. McGinnis is the epitome of basketball in Indiana and there is no power forward more deserving to be on this list.

Honorable mention: Jermaine O’Neal