Avery Johnson facts for kids
Johnson coaching Alabama in 2016
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| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 25, 1965 New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. |
| High school | St. Augustine (New Orleans, Louisiana) |
| Listed height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) |
| Listed weight | 185 lb (84 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College |
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| NBA Draft | 1988 / Undrafted |
| Pro career | 1988–2004 |
| Coaching career | 2004–2019 |
| Career history | |
| As player: | |
| 1988 | Palm Beach Stingrays |
| 1988–1990 | Seattle SuperSonics |
| 1990 | Denver Nuggets |
| 1991 | San Antonio Spurs |
| 1992 | Houston Rockets |
| 1992–1993 | San Antonio Spurs |
| 1993–1994 | Golden State Warriors |
| 1994–2001 | San Antonio Spurs |
| 2001–2002 | Denver Nuggets |
| 2002–2003 | Dallas Mavericks |
| 2003–2004 | Golden State Warriors |
| As coach: | |
| 2004–2005 | Dallas Mavericks (assistant) |
| 2005–2008 | Dallas Mavericks |
| 2010–2012 | New Jersey / Brooklyn Nets |
| 2015–2019 | Alabama |
| Career highlights and awards | |
As player:
As coach:
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| Career NBA statistics | |
| Points | 8,817 (8.4 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 1,751 (1.7 rpg) |
| Assists | 5,846 (5.5 apg) |
Avery DeWitt Johnson (born March 25, 1965) is an American basketball expert. He used to be a player and a coach. Now, he works as a basketball analyst for CBS Sports, sharing his knowledge on TV.
Johnson played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for 16 years. After that, he became a head coach for two NBA teams: the Dallas Mavericks and the New Jersey/Brooklyn Nets. He led the Mavericks to their first-ever NBA Finals and to three seasons with 50 or more wins. During his playing days, people called him the "Little General." This was because he was shorter than most NBA players, but he was a great leader as a point guard. He was also good friends with his San Antonio Spurs teammate, David Robinson.
Contents
Avery Johnson's Basketball Journey
College Years
In 1983, when Johnson was a senior in high school, he led his team, St. Augustine High School, to an amazing 35-0 record. They won the Class 4A Louisiana State Championship.
Johnson then went to New Mexico Junior College, then Cameron University, and finally Southern University. In his last year at Southern, 1988, he led all NCAA Division I players with 13.3 assists per game. This was a record that stood for a long time! He also scored 11.4 points per game that season. This made him the first men's Division I player to average double figures in both points and assists in the same season.
Even with these amazing college stats, Johnson was not picked in the NBA draft when he graduated in 1988.
College Records
Johnson set some impressive records in college:
- Most assists per game in a career: 12.0 (he played for 2 seasons).
- Most assists per game in a single season: 13.3.
- He had 399 total assists in 30 games as a senior, which is the second-highest ever.
- Most assists in a junior season: 333.
- Most assists per game in a junior season: 10.74.
- Most games with 20+ assists in a career: 4.
- He did this in only 2 seasons. Only one other player has done it twice, but that was in 4 seasons.
- Most games with 20+ assists in a season: 2.
- He did this twice, in both his junior and senior years.
Professional Playing Career
Early NBA Teams (1988–1994)
After college, Johnson played for the Palm Beach Stingrays in the summer of 1988. Then, he signed with the Seattle SuperSonics for the 1988–89 season. He played for the SuperSonics for two seasons.
In 1990, the SuperSonics traded Johnson to the Denver Nuggets. After a short time there, he signed with the San Antonio Spurs. He played well for the Spurs, averaging 9.4 points and 5.4 assists in 47 games.
Johnson later played for the Houston Rockets and then returned to the Spurs. In his second time with the Spurs, he became a starter. He averaged 8.7 points and 7.5 assists per game. In 1993, Johnson joined the Golden State Warriors and was named team captain. He scored a career-high 10.9 points per game that season.
San Antonio Spurs (1994–2001)
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Avery Johnson spent a big part of his career with the San Antonio Spurs, from 1994 to 2001. He was a very important player for the team that won the NBA championship in 1999. In the final game of the championship series against the New York Knicks, Johnson made the winning shot with only 47 seconds left!
To honor his contributions, the Spurs retired his jersey number 6 on December 22, 2007. This means no other player on the team will ever wear that number again. He was also added to the San Antonio Sports Hall of Fame in 2009.
After the Spurs
After leaving the Spurs in 2001, Johnson signed with the Denver Nuggets again. He played 51 games for them. Later, the Nuggets traded him to the Dallas Mavericks. He played as a reserve for the Mavericks for a season and a half.
In 2003, Johnson was traded to the Golden State Warriors for his second time. He finished his NBA playing career with the Warriors in the 2003–04 season.
Life After Playing Basketball
Coaching the Dallas Mavericks
On October 28, 2004, Avery Johnson stopped playing basketball and became an assistant coach for the Dallas Mavericks. It was clear from the start that he was being prepared to become the head coach. Just five months later, on March 19, 2005, he became the head coach after Don Nelson resigned.
Under Johnson, the Mavericks finished the 2004–05 season very strong, winning 16 out of 18 games. They won their first playoff series but were later eliminated. Johnson was named the NBA Coach of the Month in April 2005, just one month after becoming a head coach!
The 2005–06 season was even better for Johnson and the Mavericks. In November 2005, he won his second Coach of the Month award. He was the first NBA coach to win the award in his first two months as a head coach. On January 28, 2006, Johnson became the fastest coach to reach 50 wins. In February 2006, he was chosen to coach the Western Conference All-Star team. In April 2006, he won the NBA Coach of the Year Award for his great success.
In June 2006, Johnson led the Mavericks to their first-ever NBA Finals appearance. They beat tough teams like the Memphis Grizzlies, the defending champion San Antonio Spurs, and the Phoenix Suns. However, they lost to the Miami Heat in six games, after winning the first two.
On December 31, 2006, Johnson became the fastest coach to win 100 games. In the 2006–07 season, his Mavericks had the best record in the NBA with 67 wins. But they lost in the first round of the playoffs to the eighth-seeded Golden State Warriors, which was a big upset.
After the 2007–08 season, the Mavericks lost in the first round of the playoffs again. The next day, April 30, 2008, Johnson was no longer the head coach of the Mavericks.
Working at ESPN
On October 17, 2008, Johnson joined ESPN as a basketball analyst. He talked about games and players on TV for two seasons.
Coaching the New Jersey/Brooklyn Nets
On June 10, 2010, Johnson was hired as the head coach of the New Jersey Nets. The team had a very bad record the season before. In his first year, the team improved a little, doubling their wins.
Johnson stayed with the Nets when the team moved to Brooklyn in 2012. He was named the Eastern Conference Coach of the Month for October and November 2012 because the team started the season with 11 wins and only 4 losses. But after that good start, the team lost many games, and Johnson was fired on December 27, 2012.
Back to ESPN
In 2013, Johnson returned to ESPN to be an analyst on shows like SportsCenter and NBA Tonight.
Coaching at Alabama
On April 5, 2015, Johnson agreed to become the new head basketball coach at the University of Alabama. The university officially announced his hiring the next day. After losing in the first round of the 2019 National Invitation Tournament, Alabama and Johnson decided to go their separate ways.
Personal Life
Avery Johnson is married to Cassandra, and they have two children, Avery Jr. and Christianne. His son, Avery Jr., played for the Alabama basketball team when his father was the coach. Johnson is a Christian. He even had a small part in the movie Eddie.
Images for kids
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Johnson coaching Alabama in 2016
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Johnson playing for the Spurs in March 2000
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Johnson as the head coach of the Mavs, 2008
See Also
In Spanish: Avery Johnson para niños
- List of National Basketball Association career assists leaders
- List of NCAA Division I men's basketball players with 20 or more assists in a game
