Vern Mikkelsen, Hall of Famer and 4-time NBA champion with Minneapolis Lakers, dies at 85
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Vern Mikkelsen, a Hall of Fame basketball player who won four NBA titles with the Minneapolis Lakers, has died. He was 85.
The Lakers say Mikkelsen died Thursday.
Mikkelsen was a six-time All-Star forward during 10 seasons with the Lakers. He was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 1995.
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The Lakers drafted Mikkelsen in 1949. Playing alongside George Mikan and Jim Pollard, Mikkelsen won championships with the Lakers in 1950 and from 1952-54. He retired in 1959 with 10,063 career points.
Lakers President Jeanie Buss says Mikkelsen "was one of the first in a long line of great Lakers players, and a key link to our franchise's early years in Minnesota."
Mikkelsen later was the coach and general manager of the ABA's Minnesota Pipers.