1950
Minneapolis Lakers
Series Flow
0
Wins
0
Losses
Regular Season
51–17
Win–Loss
Playoff Record
10–2
Win–Loss
Finals
0–0
vs Syracuse Nationals
Finals MVP
Mikan
George
Minneapolis Lakers
51–17Syracuse Nationals
40–24A physical, competitive Nationals team that played the Lakers hard in six games but couldn't match Mikan's dominance.
Finals MVP
George Mikan
#99 · Center
26.0
PPG
14.0
RPG
The most dominant player in the early NBA — won the first championship of the merged BAA-NBL era.
Won the first NBA championship of the modern era (first season after BAA-NBL merger)
Led the league in scoring for the third consecutive season while winning his second championship
How the Series Unfolded
The Champions
16.0
PPG
9.0
RPG
One of the most athletic players of his era — essential to the championship formula alongside Mikan.
They Pushed Us to the Limit
A physical, competitive Nationals team that played the Lakers hard in six games but couldn't match Mikan's dominance.
17.0
PPG
11.5
RPG
One of the great early NBA players — gave the Nationals their best chance to win.
History Written in 1950
Minneapolis Lakers
First NBA Championship of the modern era (1949-50 season, first after BAA-NBL merger)
George Mikan
Second consecutive championship — established himself as the first great center in professional basketball
Beyond the Box Score
The 1949-50 season was the first season of the merged National Basketball Association (the BAA had absorbed the NBL). The Minneapolis Lakers won the first true "NBA Championship" — with George Mikan so dominant that the league literally changed its rules to contain him.
Historical note: Box scores and game-by-game records from this era are incomplete. The Lakers won 4-2 over the Syracuse Nationals in what was technically the first NBA Finals of the modern league.
The Full Story
In the first season of the modern National Basketball Association — formed by the merger of the BAA and NBL — the Minneapolis Lakers and George Mikan claimed the very first NBA title.
Mikan averaged 26 points per game in a six-game series against the Syracuse Nationals. He was so dominant that the NBA had already widened the lane, changed rules, and still couldn't stop him. The Minneapolis Lakers were the first dynasty. George Mikan was the first superstar.