SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) The first dominant big man of basketball has died. Basketball Hall of Famer George Mikan (MY'-kuhn), who led the Minneapolis Lakers to five N-B-A championships, was 80.<br>
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Family members say he died last night. He'd been suffering from diabetes and kidney failure, and had had a leg amputated several years ago.<br>
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The six-ten Mikan, who played at DePaul, was the reason that college basketball adopted the goaltending rule.<br>
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Mikan's Lakers won five of the first six N-B-A titles after the league was formed in 1948, and he was the league M-V-P that first season. He played in Minneapolis for seven seasons, averaging just over 23 points a game before retiring because of injuries in 1956.<br>
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There's a statue in his honor outside the Target Center in Minneapolis.<br>
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(Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
