Displayed is a beautiful 1944 All-American basketball jacket attributed to center George Mikan, a Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer, as a player, from DePaul University. Mikan, who went to high school in Joliet, Illinois, was "discovered" by Ray Meyer, the 28-year-old head coach of Chicago's DePaul University while the 6'10" Mikan was still in high school. Physically and socially awkward at that time, Mikan wore thick glasses, and later goggles while on the court, and he was embarrassed about his height, and unassertive. Meyer began to work with Mikan, both before he entered DePaul and when he entered DePaul as a student. Meyer had Mikan perform what came to be called the "Mikan Drills," a part of which consisted of having Mikan perform alternating hook shots with both his right and left hands. Meyer also had Mikan jump rope, and dance, all to improve his coordination. It worked. Mikan played four seasons at DePaul and was a consensus All-American in his final three years. Amazingly, before Mikan's emergence, it was generally thought that an extremely tall player was too awkward to be a basketball star. Meyer and Mikan put that theory to rest. Mikan, who became known as "Mr. Basketball," led the nation in scoring in both his junior season (1944-45), with 23.3 PPG, and his senior season (1945-46), with 23.1 PPG. Mikan was the Helms NCAA Player of the Year in both '44 and '45, and he led DePaul to the '45 National Invitation Tournament (NIT) Championship, at that time a title more highly regarded than the NCAA Championship. Later, Mikan played professional basketball in three leagues, most notably with the Minneapolis Lakers of the Basketball Association of America (BAA) and the NBA, and he won seven professional championships in nine years. He became an attorney and was the first Commissioner of the American Basketball Association. His height and prowess resulted in a number of professional rule changes, including the widening of the free-throw lane and the imposition of the shot clock. The offered jacket is of high quality and visually beautiful. Most of the surface is made of white satin, with a woolen red, white, and blue waistband. An All-American patch, approx. 5.5x5.5", is on the left chest. The red, white, and blue patch reads, "All American 1944." Red and blue decorative lines run down each long sleeve. The back is devoid of letters or numbers, typical for the deliberate, stylistic simplicity of the time. A zipper that is partially operable runs down the front, but approx. the final 1.25" of the zipper has become detached from the surrounding material of the jacket. The collar area has a red, white, and blue flap that runs down the back, almost like a small, attached cape. This jacket was purchased along with other Mikan items 20+ years ago from the same consignor as the Mikan eyeglasses in this auction. No size is listed on the jacket, but it seems to approximate what would be an XXL size today. The wool in the jacket shows a change in color, exhibiting a darkening, almost like a foxing effect. There are some minor stains in various parts of the jacket, but overall, the jacket, considering that it is 80 years old, is in a nice condition. This is a great collectible, and its terrific visual appeal, combined with the vintage connection to the first very tall man to dominate college and professional basketball, makes this a wonderful, vintage offering.