Dennis Johnson
Dominguez (Compton, California ) | |
College |
|
---|---|
Austin Toros | |
Career highlights and awards | |
Career NBA statistics | |
Points | 15,535 (14.1 ppg) |
Assists | 5,499 (5.0 apg) |
Steals | 1,477 (1.3 spg) |
Stats at NBA.com | |
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
Basketball Hall of Fame as player |
Dennis Wayne Johnson (September 18, 1954 – February 22, 2007), nicknamed "DJ", was an American professional
A prototypical late bloomer, Johnson overcame early struggles
The Celtics retired Johnson's No. 3 jersey which hangs from the rafters of the TD Garden, the home arena of the team. The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame officially inducted Johnson to the Hall posthumously in 2010.[4] He is considered by several sports journalists to be one of the most underrated players of all time.[5][6][7]
Early life
Dennis Wayne Johnson was born the eighth of sixteen children, to a social worker and a bricklayer who lived in
College career
Jim White, the coach at Los Angeles Harbor College had watched Johnson play street basketball and felt that Johnson excelled in defense, White asked him to enroll.[2] Johnson gave up his jobs and developed into a promising young guard, averaging 18.3 points and 12.0 rebounds per game and leading Harbor to a college junior state title.[1] However, the young guard lacked discipline, often clashed with White and was thrown off the team three times in two years.[2]
At the end of his junior college career, two universities offered Johnson scholarships: Azusa Pacific University and Pepperdine University.[1] Johnson chose the latter, and in his only year there, he averaged 15.7 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game,[3] and developed a reputation for tough defense. After that year, Johnson made himself eligible for the 1976 NBA draft, but was skeptical that any team would take him.[1] NBA teams were wary of drafting a player with character issues,[2] and Johnson was known to be a troublemaker.[citation needed]
Professional career
Seattle SuperSonics (1976–1980)
The
Finishing strongly, the Sonics ended the regular season with a 47–35 record and made the
Johnson and the Sonics got their revenge in the
During the
Coach Wilkens grew tired of Johnson, who often clashed with him and was perceived as a growing liability to the team.[2][14] At the end of the season, Johnson was traded to the Phoenix Suns for Paul Westphal and draft picks. The Sonics' record was 22 games worse the next season despite the addition of Westphal.[5]
Phoenix Suns (1980–1983)
Johnson further established himself as a quality player in Phoenix. In his three years as a Sun, Johnson averaged 14–20 points a game and provided tough defense. He played in two All-Star Games, was voted into three consecutive All-Defensive First Teams and earned his only All-NBA First Team appearance.[3] In this period Johnson, like in Seattle, played shooting guard and became the main scorer on the team, as opposed to being the second or third option as a Sonic.[5]
In the first two years of Johnson's stint, the Suns were fairly successful, reaching the Western Conference Semifinals both seasons. The Suns bowed out in the first round in Johnson's last year.[15] Johnson's situation deteriorated towards the end of his career at Phoenix. Like in Seattle, he often clashed with his coach, John MacLeod, and finally was traded by general manager, Jerry Colangelo, to the Boston Celtics for Rick Robey and draft picks.[2] Like Seattle after Johnson's departure, the Suns finished 12 games worse in the next season despite the addition of Robey.[5]
Later in the height of Johnson's career, he would be one of multiple players implicated in a drug scandal that occurred during his time spent with the Suns, according to a mention by former teammate Johnny High, though Johnson vehemently denied using cocaine or any other illicit drugs during that period of time.[16]
Boston Celtics (1983–1990)
Between the 1979–80 season and the 1981–82 season, the Celtics had lost to the Philadelphia 76ers in the Eastern Conference Finals two out of three times, mainly because physical Sixers guard Andrew Toney routinely caused problems for their defensively fragile backcourt. After subsequently getting swept by the Bucks in the 1982–83 Eastern Conference Semifinals, Celtics general manager Red Auerbach added the perennial All-Defensive Team member Johnson to his squad, hoping that Johnson would help the Celtics fare better in the Eastern Conference playoffs (particularly against the 76ers).[5] Johnson joined a squad that included Hall of Fame forwards Larry Bird and Kevin McHale and Hall of Fame center Robert Parish, a trio that has been described as the best NBA frontcourt of all time.[17][18][19][20] Johnson described joining the Celtics as a "dream come true" and enjoyed the tutelage of highly successful general manager Auerbach, who was "living history" according to Johnson.[2]
With the Celtics Johnson changed his playing style for the third time in his career: after being known as a
In the 1984–85 season, Johnson continued playing smothering defense, earning his next All-Defensive Second Team call-up while averaging 16.9 points and 7.3 assists per game.[3] The Celtics met the Lakers in the 1985 NBA Finals again. Johnson's big moment came in Game 4: when the score was tied at 105, teammate Larry Bird had the ball in the last seconds. Being double-teamed by Lakers Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson, Bird passed to the open Johnson, and the guard sank a 19-ft buzzer beater to win the game.[8] The Lakers, however, took their revenge this time, winning the series in six games, powered by venerable 38-year-old Finals MVP Abdul-Jabbar. Johnson described this loss as one of the toughest in his career, because the Celtics were "close [to winning the series]", but "could not get the job done".[2]
In the following season the Celtics made the playoffs, helped by the performance of Johnson, who made the All-Defensive Second Team again while tallying 17.8 points and 6.7 assists per game.[3] After defeating the Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference Finals, the Celtics reached the 1986 NBA Finals against the up-and-coming Houston Rockets, led by the "Twin Towers" of centers Ralph Sampson and Hakeem Olajuwon. Led by Finals MVP Larry Bird, the Celtics beat the Rockets 4–2, and Johnson won his third title.[22]
The Celtics were unable to repeat their title in
In the next round the
Now there's a steal by Bird! Underneath to DJ who lays it in! Right at one second left! What a play by Bird! Bird stole the in-bounding pass, laid it up to DJ, and DJ laid it up and in, and Boston has a one-point lead with one second left! Oh my, this place is going crazy!!!
According to Johnson this was his favorite play of all time.[2] Games 6 and 7 also featured a feud, this time between Pistons forward Dennis Rodman and Johnson. In Game 6, which the Pistons won, Rodman taunted Johnson in the closing seconds by waving his right hand over his head. When the Celtics took Game 7, Johnson went back at Rodman in the last moments of the game and mimicked his taunting gesture.[5] In the 1987 NBA Finals, however, the Celtics succumbed to the Los Angeles Lakers 4–2 as Lakers playmaker and Finals MVP Magic Johnson put up a great performance, averaging 26 points and 13 assists throughout the series.[21][25]
The next three seasons were disappointing for the aging Celtics. In the
Johnson retired after the Celtics did not offer him a new contract at the beginning of the
Post-player career
After retiring as a player, Johnson worked as a scout for the Celtics.[1] Johnson later worked as a scout for the Portland Trail Blazers.
Coaching career
Boston Celtics (1993–1997)
In 1993, he became an assistant coach for the Celtics, a position he held until 1997.[26]
Los Angeles Clippers (2000–2003)
After spending several years outside the limelight, he returned as an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Clippers in 2000 and spent four seasons there. Johnson served as interim head coach after the departure of Alvin Gentry for 24 games near the end of the 2002–03 season.[26][30]
Florida Flame (2004–2005)
In 2004, Johnson was named head coach of the
Austin Toros (2005–2007)
Johnson became head coach of the NBA Development League's
NBA career statistics
GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
† | Won an NBA championship |
Regular season
Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1976–77 | Seattle | 81 | – | 20.6 | .504 | – | .624 | 3.7 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 0.7 | 9.2 |
1977–78 | Seattle | 81 | – | 27.3 | .417 | – | .732 | 3.6 | 2.8 | 1.5 | 0.6 | 12.7 |
1978–79† | Seattle | 80 | – | 34.0 | .434 | – | .781 | 4.7 | 3.5 | 1.3 | 1.2 | 15.9 |
1979–80 | Seattle | 81 | – | 36.3 | .422 | .207 | .780 | 5.1 | 4.1 | 1.8 | 1.0 | 19.0 |
1980–81 | Phoenix | 79 | – | 33.1 | .436 | .216 | .820 | 4.6 | 3.7 | 1.7 | 0.8 | 18.8 |
1981–82 | Phoenix | 80 | 77 | 36.7 | .470 | .190 | .806 | 5.1 | 4.6 | 1.3 | 0.7 | 19.5 |
1982–83 | Phoenix | 77 | 74 | 33.1 | .462 | .161 | .791 | 4.4 | 5.0 | 1.3 | 0.5 | 14.2 |
1983–84† | Boston | 80 | 78 | 33.3 | .437 | .125 | .852 | 3.5 | 4.2 | 1.2 | 0.7 | 13.2 |
1984–85 | Boston | 80 | 77 | 37.2 | .462 | .269 | .853 | 4.0 | 6.8 | 1.2 | 0.5 | 15.7 |
1985–86† | Boston | 78 | 78 | 35.0 | .455 | .143 | .818 | 3.4 | 5.8 | 1.4 | 0.4 | 15.6 |
1986–87 | Boston | 79 | 78 | 37.1 | .444 | .113 | .833 | 3.3 | 7.5 | 1.1 | 0.5 | 13.4 |
1987–88 | Boston | 77 | 74 | 34.7 | .438 | .261 | .856 | 3.1 | 7.8 | 1.2 | 0.4 | 12.6 |
1988–89 | Boston | 72 | 72 | 32.1 | .434 | .140 | .821 | 2.6 | 6.6 | 1.3 | 0.3 | 10.0 |
1989–90 | Boston | 75 | 65 | 27.1 | .434 | .042 | .843 | 2.7 | 6.5 | 1.1 | 0.2 | 7.1 |
Career[31] | 1,100 | 673 | 32.7 | .445 | .172 | .797 | 3.9 | 5.0 | 1.3 | 0.6 | 14.1 | |
All-Star[31] | 5 | 0 | 19.6 | .541 | – | .864 | 3.6 | 1.8 | 1.0 | 0.8 | 11.8 |
Playoffs
Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1978 | Seattle | 22 | – | 37.6 | .412 | – | .704 | 4.6 | 3.3 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 16.1 |
1979† | Seattle | 17 | – | 40.1 | .450 | – | .771 | 6.1 | 4.1 | 1.6 | 1.5 | 20.9 |
1980 | Seattle | 15 | – | 38.8 | .410 | .333 | .839 | 4.3 | 3.8 | 1.8 | 0.7 | 17.1 |
1981 | Phoenix | 7 | – | 38.1 | .473 | .200 | .762 | 4.7 | 2.9 | 1.3 | 1.3 | 19.6 |
1982 | Phoenix | 7 | – | 38.7 | .477 | .000 | .769 | 4.4 | 4.6 | 2.1 | 0.6 | 22.3 |
1983 | Phoenix | 3 | – | 36.0 | .458 | .000 | .833 | 7.7 | 5.7 | 1.7 | 0.7 | 18.0 |
1984† | Boston | 22 | – | 36.7 | .404 | .429 | .867 | 3.6 | 4.4 | 1.1 | 0.3 | 16.6 |
1985 | Boston | 21 | 21 | 40.4 | .445 | .000 | .860 | 4.0 | 7.3 | 1.5 | 0.4 | 17.3 |
1986† | Boston | 18 | 18 | 39.7 | .445 | .375 | .798 | 4.2 | 5.9 | 2.2 | 0.3 | 16.2 |
1987 | Boston | 23 | 23 | 41.9 | .465 | .115 | .850 | 4.0 | 8.9 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 18.9 |
1988 | Boston | 17 | 17 | 41.3 | .433 | .375 | .796 | 4.5 | 8.2 | 1.4 | 0.5 | 15.9 |
1989 | Boston | 3 | 1 | 19.7 | .267 | – | – | 1.3 | 3.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 2.7 |
1990 | Boston | 5 | 5 | 32.4 | .484 | .333 | 1.000 | 2.8 | 5.6 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 13.8 |
Career[31] | 180 | 85 | 38.9 | .439 | .239 | .802 | 4.3 | 5.6 | 1.4 | 0.6 | 17.3 |
Head coaching record
Regular season | G | Games coached | W | Games won | L | Games lost | W–L % | Win–loss % |
Playoffs | PG | Playoff games | PW | Playoff wins | PL | Playoff losses | PW–L % | Playoff win–loss % |
Team | Year | G | W | L | W–L% | Finish | PG | PW | PL | PW–L% | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
L.A. Clippers | 2002–03 | 24 | 8 | 16 | .333 | 7th in Pacific | — | — | — | — | Missed playoffs |
Career[32] | 24 | 8 | 16 | .333 | — | — | — | — |
Legacy
In 1,100 games, Johnson scored 15,535 points, grabbed 4,249 rebounds and gave 5,499 assists, translating to career averages of 14.1 points, 3.9 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game.[3] Known as a defensive stalwart, he was elected into nine straight All-Defensive First or Second Teams.[3] NBA legend George Gervin said in a podcast with journalist Bill Simmons that Johnson was the hardest defender he ever played against.[33] Johnson is also acknowledged by the NBA as a "money player"[1] who was clutch in decisive moments, such as scoring 32 points for his team in a Game 4 overtime victory in the 1979 NBA Finals, playing smothering defense on Magic Johnson in the 1984 NBA Finals, and converting a last-second layup in Game 5 of the 1987 Eastern Conference Finals after a Larry Bird steal.[1]
Furthermore, Johnson is lauded by the NBA as a versatile all-around weapon who played with "contagious competitiveness"[1] and was known for his durability: in 14 NBA seasons, he played in 1,100 of a possible 1,148 games and participated in 180 playoff games, the latter figure the 11th highest number of all time.[5] At his retirement, Johnson was only the 11th NBA player to amass more than 15,000 points and 5,000 assists.[1]
On December 13, 1991, the Celtics franchise retired his number 3 jersey. Johnson said he would always be a Boston Celtic, and remarked that seeing his number in the rafters gave him a "special feeling".
On October 26, 2007, a learning center was dedicated in Johnson's name in the Central Branch of the YMCA of Greater Boston. The center was made possible by the donations and effort of Larry Bird and M.L. Carr. Johnson's family, Danny Ainge, Carr, and members of the YMCA and local community were present for the ribbon-cutting ceremony. Donna Johnson said on behalf of her husband, "If Dennis were alive he would really appreciate the thought and love the idea of the Learning Center."[36]
The NBA G League Coach of the Year Award is named after Johnson.[37]
Personal life
Dennis Johnson was married to Donna, his wife of 31 years, and had three children named Dwayne, Denise, and Daniel.
On October 20, 1997, Johnson was arrested and detained overnight for allegedly holding a knife to his wife's throat and threatening his 17-year-old son.
Death
On February 22, 2007, at the
See also
- List of National Basketball Association career playoff scoring leaders
- List of National Basketball Association career playoff assists leaders
- List of National Basketball Association career playoff steals leaders
- List of National Basketball Association career playoff turnovers leaders
- List of National Basketball Association career playoff free throw scoring leaders
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s "Dennis Johnson Bio". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on November 2, 2012. Retrieved August 17, 2007.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m McClellan, Michael D. (October 1, 2002). "The Long Shot: The Dennis Johnson Interview". Celtic-nation.com. Archived from the original on June 19, 2012. Retrieved August 17, 2007.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p "Dennis Johnson Stats". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on March 6, 2011. Retrieved August 17, 2007.
- ^ a b "Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Announces Class of 2010" (Press release). Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. April 5, 2010. Archived from the original on April 9, 2010. Retrieved April 5, 2010.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "The Sports Guy: RIP, DJ". ESPN. Archived from the original on October 18, 2012. Retrieved August 17, 2007.
- ^ "Hall of Fame still neglecting a few greats". ESPN. April 3, 2006. Archived from the original on January 13, 2016. Retrieved February 3, 2008.
- ^ "Shining stars who belong in the Hall of Fame". ESPN. April 2, 2007. Archived from the original on September 21, 2007. Retrieved February 3, 2008.
- ^ a b c d "Shouler: DJ deserving of praise". ESPN. February 23, 2007. Archived from the original on October 22, 2012. Retrieved August 17, 2007.
- ^ a b "Seattle Supersonics Team Indexs". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on August 7, 2008. Retrieved August 17, 2007.
- ^ Schey, Bill. "D.J. had yen for big shots, big-time 'D'". The News Tribune. p. C.1.
- ^ "NBA Finals records". USA Today. June 2, 2001. Archived from the original on December 16, 2011. Retrieved February 3, 2008.
- ^ "This Date in History-May". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on June 25, 2012. Retrieved September 26, 2009.
- ^ "1979 NBA Finals Composite Box Score". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on May 14, 2012. Retrieved September 26, 2009.
- Wilmington Morning Star. October 2, 1980. Retrieved September 26, 2009.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Phoenix Suns Team Indexs". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on July 22, 2022. Retrieved August 17, 2007.
- ^ "More NBA Players Linked to Arizona Drug/Gambling Probe". Los Angeles Times. May 9, 1987. Retrieved April 10, 2024.
- ^ Montville, Leigh. "Where's the Chief? Robert Parish left the game vowing never to return. But like his old teammates from Boston, he's no longer content to be on the sideline". Vault. Archived from the original on June 2, 2019. Retrieved October 4, 2019.
- ISBN 9781610753494– via Google Books.
- ^ "Larry Bird Bio". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on January 13, 2012. Retrieved August 17, 2007.
- ^ Columnist, JEFF JACOBS; Courant Sports (January 19, 1998). "FANS JUST SEE THAT NUMBER". courant.com. Archived from the original on March 1, 2020. Retrieved October 4, 2019.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ a b "Magic Johnson Bio". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on January 26, 2012. Retrieved August 17, 2007.
- ^ a b c "Boston Celtics Team Indexs". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on December 8, 2006. Retrieved August 17, 2007.
- ^ "Bill Laimbeer Bio". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on June 4, 2012. Retrieved August 17, 2007.
- ^ Cohen, Josh. "The Tale of Two Legends". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on November 6, 2012. Retrieved September 26, 2009.
- ^ "1987 NBA Finals Composite Box Score". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on August 8, 2011. Retrieved October 9, 2009.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Goldstein, Richard (February 23, 2007). "Dennis Johnson, 52, N.B.A. Defensive Wizard, Dies". The New York Times. Archived from the original on June 23, 2018. Retrieved February 23, 2007.
- ^ Burris, Joe (January 5, 1990). "DJ Quietly Impressing His Point". The Boston Globe. p. 44.
- ^ "1989-90 Boston Celtics Roster and Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on April 18, 2009. Retrieved October 23, 2009.
- ^ "Sports People: Pro Basketball; Johnson Not Offered Contract by Celtics". The New York Times. October 2, 1990. Archived from the original on December 4, 2018. Retrieved October 1, 2009.
- ^ Allen, Percy (February 23, 2007). "D.J. left indelible mark". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on August 14, 2011. Retrieved September 27, 2009.
- ^ a b c "Dennis Johnson". Basketball-Reference.com. Archived from the original on March 6, 2011. Retrieved April 29, 2021.
- ^ "Dennis Johnson". Basketball-Reference.com. Archived from the original on November 18, 2021. Retrieved April 29, 2021.
- YouTube
- ^ basketball-reference.com
- ^ "Source: Johnson makes HOF". ESPN Boston. April 3, 2010. Archived from the original on November 4, 2012. Retrieved April 4, 2010.
- ^ "Larry Bird & M.L. Carr Open WARM2Kids Learning Center in Memory of Teammate Dennis Johnson". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. October 26, 2007. Archived from the original on November 6, 2012. Retrieved September 30, 2009.
- ^ "Fort Wayne's Conner Henry Named 2014 NBA D-League Coach of the Year". NBA.com. April 17, 2014. Archived from the original on October 16, 2015. Retrieved April 16, 2016.
- ^ "Dennis Johnson remembered at memorial service". ESPN. March 2007. Archived from the original on November 4, 2012. Retrieved August 17, 2007.
- ^ MacMullan, Jackie (February 23, 2007). "He always rose to the occasion". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on March 5, 2007. Retrieved August 17, 2007.
- ^ Araton, Harvey (August 13, 2010), "Recognized for a Layup, Inducted Too Late", The New York Times, archived from the original on November 11, 2017, retrieved December 2, 2017
- ^ "Chris Johnson - 2013-14 Men's Basketball Roster". University of Arizona. Archived from the original on November 11, 2017. Retrieved July 24, 2017.
- ^ "Plus: Pro Basketball; Dennis Johnson Is Arrested". The New York Times. September 21, 1997. Archived from the original on July 10, 2018. Retrieved February 24, 2007.
- ^ May, Peter; Steve Richards (October 21, 1997). "Johnson charged in assault Ex-Celtic allegedly held knife to his wife". Boston Globe. p. E.1.
- ^ May, Peter; Steve Richards (October 22, 1997). "Johnson released from jail He must stay away from wife". Boston Globe. p. F.1.
- ^ May, Peter (January 9, 1998). "Charges Dropped Against Johnson". Boston Globe. p. E.3.
- ^ Jackson, Derrick Z. (February 24, 2007). "The man in Dennis Johnson". Boston Globe. Archived from the original on April 3, 2007. Retrieved October 10, 2009.
External links