The seven greatest Pacers in team history ranked by Player Efficiency Rating (PER)
By Ryan Stano
4. George McGinnis
George McGinnis played for the Pacers when they were fairly new to the NBA. He actually finished his career with Indiana, unlike the previous players on this list. He played just three seasons with the franchise while they were in the NBA but made a big impact while he was there when they were in the ABA. His PER with Indiana was 19.9.
McGinnis averaged 19.6 and 10.7 rebounds a game in seven different seasons with the Pacers. He was a three-time All-Star with the Pacers while they were in the ABA. He is actually named to the ABA All-Time Team. Before the Pacers came to the NBA, he was the preeminent superstar in that league, along with Dr. J.
Not only did McGinnis play for the Pacers, but he was an Indiana native. He was born in Indianapolis and was Mr. Basketball in the state when he was in high school. He was a fabric of the community for almost two decades, even when he left Indiana for Philly in the middle of his career.
McGinnis' number 30 hangs in the rafters of Gainbridge Fieldhouse and is one of the few Pacers to have that honor. He was a great player. I wish I had gotten a chance to see him in games other than in old YouTube clips. He seemed like the type of player that you could build a franchise around because that's exactly what Indiana did.
The next player on this list also played in the ABA and was actually a teammate of McGinnis while the Pacers were still in that league.