The 1948–49 Minneapolis Lakers season was the Lakers' first season in the Basketball Association of America (BAA) (which later became the National Basketball Association (NBA) after the conclusion of this season).

This season saw the Lakers win their first BAA championship, defeating the Washington Capitols in six games in the BAA Finals. Technically speaking, this season would see the Lakers hold back-to-back championship seasons in two different professional basketball leagues, as Minneapolis won their previous season's championship (alongside the last ever WPBT) while competing in the National Basketball League (NBL) in their first season competing as the Minneapolis Lakers before defecting out into the Basketball Association of America to win the last ever BAA Finals championship ever held before the NBL-BAA merger into the NBA happened.

The last remaining active member of the 1948–49 Minneapolis Lakers was center George Mikan, who played his final NBA game in the 1955–56 season, although he missed the 1954–55 season. After long being honored by the Lakers following their eventual move to Los Angeles, Mikan's #99 would eventually be retired properly (albeit posthumously) on October 30, 2022.

BAA Draft

Round Pick Player Position Nationality College 1 9 Chuck Hanger – California – – Cliff Crandall – Oregon State – – Arnie Ferrin G/F Utah – – Earl Gardner F DePauw – – Dee Gibson G/F Western Kentucky – – Ken Jastrow – Denver – – Bob Lowther – LSU – – Johnny Orr F Beloit – – Junior Skogland – Gustavus Adolphus – – Quentin Stinson – Southern Illinois

Originally, the defending NBL champion Lakers were one of four teams to participate in what was planned to be a joint draft procedure between the BAA and the rivaling National Basketball League. However, on the very day before the joint draft was set to commence, plans for it were scrapped when the Lakers and three other NBL teams (including the team they had beaten in the 1948 NBL Finals, the Rochester Royals) decided to leave the NBL for the BAA, meaning they would participate in the 1948 BAA draft this time around instead or either a joint league draft akin to what the National Football League would later do with the future rivaling American Football League during the late 1960s or the 1948 NBL draft that they were originally meant to be a part of., pg. 6

Roster

Regular season

Season standings

x – clinched playoff spot

Game log # Date Opponent Score High points Record 1 November 4 @ Baltimore W 84–72 Herm Schaefer (23) 1–0 2 November 6 @ Washington L 62–67 George Mikan (27) 1–1 3 November 9 @ Boston L 55–77 George Mikan (29) 1–2 4 November 11 @ New York W 77–68 George Mikan (34) 2–2 5 November 13 @ Providence W 90–67 George Mikan (38) 3–2 6 November 14 @ Rochester L 75–92 George Mikan (36) 3–3 7 November 17 Boston L 72–74 George Mikan (21) 3–4 8 November 19 @ Chicago W 85–81 Herm Schaefer (28) 4–4 9 November 21 Baltimore W 94–81 George Mikan (33) 5–4 10 November 23 @ Indianapolis W 88–82 George Mikan (33) 6–4 11 November 24 Providence W 117–89 George Mikan (20) 7–4 12 November 27 @ St. Louis W 87–71 George Mikan (26) 8–4 13 November 28 Philadelphia W 88–67 Herm Schaefer (25) 9–4 14 November 30 vs. Boston W 94–84 George Mikan (32) 10–4 15 December 1 @ Fort Wayne L 74–84 George Mikan (44) 10–5 16 December 4 @ Chicago L 100–104 (OT) George Mikan (47) 10–6 17 December 5 St. Louis W 78–68 George Mikan (27) 11–6 18 December 8 Washington L 83–94 George Mikan (34) 11–7 19 December 10 @ Rochester W 96–75 George Mikan (31) 12–7 20 December 12 Rochester W 67–58 George Mikan (22) 13–7 21 December 15 Indianapolis W 79–61 Jim Pollard (19) 14–7 22 December 19 Chicago W 94–84 George Mikan (31) 15–7 23 December 21 @ Philadelphia L 64–72 George Mikan (18) 15–8 24 December 22 @ New York L 79–97 George Mikan (24) 15–9 25 December 26 Rochester W 99–90 George Mikan (32) 16–9 26 December 29 Washington W 91–68 George Mikan (34) 17–9 27 January 1 Fort Wayne W 92–72 George Mikan (22) 18–9 28 January 5 St. Louis W 101–76 George Mikan (31) 19–9 29 January 8 @ St. Louis L 59–64 George Mikan (22) 19–10 30 January 9 St. Louis W 74–58 George Mikan (29) 20–10 31 January 12 Providence W 98–64 George Mikan (26) 21–10 32 January 16 Indianapolis W 75–66 Jim Pollard (21) 22–10 33 January 18 @ Indianapolis W 81–56 George Mikan (19) 23–10 34 January 20 Fort Wayne W 83–65 George Mikan (29) 24–10 35 January 23 Philadelphia W 89–71 George Mikan (33) 25–10 36 January 26 Chicago W 84–49 Jim Pollard (20) 26–10 37 January 30 Washington W 84–79 George Mikan (48) 27–10 38 February 2 @ Fort Wayne W 82–79 (OT) George Mikan (31) 28–10 39 February 3 @ Philadelphia W 78–76 George Mikan (30) 29–10 40 February 6 Rochester L 74–85 George Mikan (32) 29–11 41 February 10 New York W 95–75 George Mikan (21) 30–11 42 February 11 @ Chicago L 97–105 George Mikan (36) 30–12 43 February 13 Baltimore W 91–74 Jim Pollard (32) 31–12 44 February 16 Chicago W 90–71 George Mikan (25) 32–12 45 February 18 @ Boston W 85–71 George Mikan (28) 33–12 46 February 19 @ Providence W 94–80 George Mikan (29) 34–12 47 February 22 @ New York W 101–74 George Mikan (48) 35–12 48 February 24 Fort Wayne W 77–73 George Mikan (31) 36–12 49 February 26 @ Baltimore L 115–114 (2OT) George Mikan (53) 37–12 50 February 27 @ Fort Wayne L 50–74 George Mikan (14) 37–13 51 March 3 @ Indianapolis W 82–79 George Mikan (24) 38–13 52 March 6 Providence W 68–59 George Mikan (21) 39–13 53 March 9 Boston W 74–67 George Mikan (22) 40–13 54 March 10 @ St. Louis L 71–88 George Mikan (26) 40–14 55 March 12 vs. Indianapolis W 97–69 Arnie Ferrin (22) 41–14 56 March 13 New York W 100–90 George Mikan (51) 42–14 57 March 16 @ Washington L 72–85 George Mikan (24) 42–15 58 March 17 @ Baltimore L 67–101 Jim Pollard (22) 42–16 59 March 19 @ Rochester W 99–85 George Mikan (46) 43–16 60 March 20 Philadelphia W 91–78 George Mikan (28) 44–16

BAA Playoffs

| 1 | March 23 | Chicago | W 84–77 | George Mikan (37) | Minneapolis Auditorium | 1–0 |- | 2 | March 24 | @ Chicago | W 101–85 | George Mikan (38) | Chicago Stadium | 2–0

| 1 | March 27 | @ Rochester | W 80–79 | George Mikan (32) | Edgerton Park Arena | 1–0 |- | 2 | March 29 | Rochester | W 67–55 | George Mikan (31) | St. Paul Auditorium | 2–0

| 1 | April 4 | Washington | W 88–84 | George Mikan (42) | Minneapolis Auditorium8,210 | 1–0 |- | 2 | April 6 | Washington | W 76–62 | Don Carlson (16) | Minneapolis Auditorium10,212 | 2–0 |- | 3 | April 8 | @ Washington | W 94–74 | George Mikan (35) | Uline Arena4,919 | 3–0 |- | 4 | April 9 | @ Washington | L 71–83 | George Mikan (27) | Uline Arena4,471 | 3–1 |- | 5 | April 11 | @ Washington | L 65–74 | George Mikan (22) | Uline Arena3,840 | 3–2 |- | 6 | April 13 | Washington | W 77–56 | George Mikan (29) | St. Paul Auditorium10,482 | 4–2

This season held their first playoff series match-up against the Chicago Stags, as well as their first and only championship match-up against the Washington Capitols before that team folded operations on January 9, 1951.

Awards and records George Mikan, All-BAA First Team Jim Pollard, All-BAA First Team

References