Jim McMillian, member of L.A.Lakers 1972 championship team, dies at 68
Fred Jeter | 5/26/2016, 7 a.m.
Jim McMillian, a key component of the longest winning streak in NBA history, died Monday, May 16, 2016, at his home in Winston-Salem, N.C.
A native of Raeford, N.C., Mr. McMillian was 68 and died of complications from heart failure.
During the 1971-72 season, Mr. McMillian helped the Los Angeles Lakers to a record 33-game winning streak that still stands.
The powerhouse team included Jerry West, Wilt Chamberlain, Happy Hairston, Gail Goodrich, Pat Riley and Elgin Baylor, and was coached by Bill Sharman.
Early in the season, the 6-foot-5, 215-pound Mr. McMillian replaced Mr. Baylor at the small forward position and went on to average 18.8 points — second to Mr. Goodrich — and 6.5 rebounds. Mr. Baylor played just nine games that season before retiring.
The Lakers finished the season 69-13 — the best regular season record in NBA annals at the time — and defeated the New York Knicks for the NBA title.
Mr. McMillian was a three-time All-American at Columbia University and was the 13th overall selection in the 1970 draft when he was picked by the Lakers.
After three seasons in Los Angeles, he was traded to the Buffalo Braves for Elmore Smith. In a nine-year NBA career that included stints with Buffalo, the Knicks and the Portland Trail Blazers, he amassed 8,736 points and 3,319 rebounds.
