(First of five parts in this Final Four week on Minnesota basketball topics)
The Minneapolis Lakers arrived on the Twin Cities sports scene in the fall of 1947 and spoiled the locals by winning six championships in the next seven seasons: the first in the National Basketball League in 1948, followed by five in the NBA or its predecessor, the Basketball Association of America.
George Mikan, the game’s dominant player, retired after the sixth title in 1954. He came back briefly a couple of years later, but hard times on the court had ensued and soon ownership changed, with Bob Short heading a group that purchased the franchise.