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Dennis Johnson
Dennis Johnson Lipofsky.jpg
Johnson shooting a layup
Personal information
Born (1954-09-18)September 18, 1954
Los Angeles, California, US
Died February 22, 2007(2007-02-22) (aged 52)
Austin, Texas, US
High school Dominguez (Compton, California)
Listed height 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Listed weight 185 lb (84 kg)
Career information
College
  • LA Harbor College (1973–1975)
  • Pepperdine (1975–1976)
NBA Draft 1976 / Round: 2 / Pick: 29th overall
Selected by the Seattle SuperSonics
Pro career 1976–1990
Coaching career 1993–2007
Career history
As player:
1976–1980 Seattle SuperSonics
1980–1983 Phoenix Suns
1983–1990 Boston Celtics
As coach:
1993–1997 Boston Celtics (assistant)
1999–2000 La Crosse Bobcats
2000–2003 Los Angeles Clippers (assistant)
2003 Los Angeles Clippers
2004–2005 Florida Flame
2005–2007 Austin Toros
Career highlights and awards
  • NBA champion (1979, 1984, 1986)
  • NBA Finals MVP (1979)
  • 5× NBA All-Star (1979–1982, 1985)
  • All-NBA First Team (1981)
  • All-NBA Second Team (1980)
  • 6× NBA All-Defensive First Team (1979–1983, 1987)
  • 3× NBA All-Defensive Second Team (1984–1986)
  • No. 3 retired by Boston Celtics
Career NBA statistics
Points 15,535 (14.1 ppg)
Assists 5,499 (5.0 apg)
Steals 1,477 (1.3 spg)

Dennis Wayne Johnson (born September 18, 1954 – died February 22, 2007), also known as "DJ", was a famous American basketball player. He played for the National Basketball Association (NBA) teams like the Seattle SuperSonics, Phoenix Suns, and Boston Celtics. He also coached for the Los Angeles Clippers and other teams.

Dennis Johnson started his career facing challenges but became a very successful NBA player. He was picked 29th in the 1976 draft by the Seattle SuperSonics. He helped the Sonics win their only NBA championship in 1979. He was even named the Finals MVP that year.

After playing for the Phoenix Suns, he joined the Boston Celtics. With the Celtics, he won two more championships. Johnson was chosen for five All-Star Teams. He was also named to the All-NBA First Team once and the Second Team once. He made the All-Defensive First or Second Team nine times in a row. People knew him as a great defender. He was also famous for making important plays in big playoff games.

The Celtics honored Johnson by retiring his No. 3 jersey. This means no other Celtics player will wear that number. His jersey hangs high in the TD Garden arena. In 2010, he was officially added to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Many sports writers think he was one of the most underrated players ever.

Dennis Johnson's Early Life

Dennis Wayne Johnson was born in Compton, California. He was the eighth of sixteen children. His dad was a bricklayer and his mom was a social worker. Dennis first loved baseball. His father taught him basketball.

As a teenager at Dominguez High School, Dennis was only 5 feet 9 inches tall. He played very little in games. After high school, he worked different jobs. He was a forklift driver, earning $2.75 an hour. He played basketball with his brothers in summer games. During this time, he grew to 6 feet 3 inches tall. He became very good at jumping high to get rebounds.

Jim White, a coach at Los Angeles Harbor College, saw Dennis playing street basketball. He thought Dennis was excellent at defense. White asked him to join the college team. Dennis quit his jobs and became a promising player. He averaged 18.3 points and 12.0 rebounds per game. He led Harbor to a junior college state title.

After junior college, Dennis got scholarships from two universities. He chose Pepperdine University. In his one year there, he averaged 15.7 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 3.3 assists. He became known for his tough defense. After that year, he decided to join the NBA draft. Some teams were worried about drafting him because of past issues.

Dennis Johnson's Professional Career

Playing for the Seattle SuperSonics (1976–1980)

The Seattle SuperSonics picked Dennis Johnson in the 1976 draft. He was the 29th player chosen. He signed a four-year contract. In his first year (1976–77), he averaged 9.2 points per game. The Sonics did not make the playoffs that year.

In the next season (1977–78), Lenny Wilkens became the coach. He made Johnson a starting player. Johnson played as a shooting guard. He was known for his strong slam dunking. His nickname "DJ" was created by an announcer. This helped tell him apart from other players named Johnson on the team.

The Sonics made the 1978 NBA Playoffs. They reached the 1978 NBA Finals but lost in seven games. In one game, Johnson blocked seven shots. This was a record for a guard in the NBA Finals. Johnson later said he learned a big lesson from that loss.

Johnson and the Sonics got their revenge in the 1978–79 season. They won the Pacific Division. They met the Washington Bullets again in the 1979 NBA Finals. The Sonics won the series. Johnson played great, averaging almost 23 points. He scored 32 points in an overtime win in Game 4. He was named the NBA Finals MVP. In this season, he became one of the best guards in the league. He made his first All-Defensive First Team and All-Star Game.

In the next season, Johnson continued to play well. He was named to the All-Defensive First Team again. The Sonics lost in the Western Conference Finals. Coach Wilkens traded Johnson to the Phoenix Suns.

Playing for the Phoenix Suns (1980–1983)

Johnson became an even better player with the Phoenix Suns. For three years, he averaged 14–20 points per game. He also played strong defense. He played in two All-Star Games. He was chosen for three All-Defensive First Teams. He also made his only All-NBA First Team. In Phoenix, he was the main scorer for the team.

The Suns did well in Johnson's first two years. They reached the Western Conference Semifinals. In his last year, the Suns lost in the first round. Johnson had disagreements with his coach, John MacLeod. He was then traded to the Boston Celtics.

Playing for the Boston Celtics (1983–1990)

The Boston Celtics needed a strong defensive guard. They traded for Dennis Johnson in 1983. He joined a team with famous players like Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, and Robert Parish. Johnson called joining the Celtics a "dream come true."

With the Celtics, Johnson changed his playing style again. He became a point guard. He focused more on helping his teammates score than on scoring himself. In his first year, he averaged 13.2 points and 4.2 assists. He was elected to the All-Defensive Second Team.

The Celtics reached the 1984 NBA Finals. They played against their big rivals, the Los Angeles Lakers. The Celtics won the series 4–3. Johnson played amazing defense against the Lakers' star, Magic Johnson. He made it hard for Magic to score.

In the 1984–85 season, Johnson continued his strong defense. He made the All-Defensive Second Team again. The Celtics met the Lakers in the 1985 NBA Finals once more. In Game 4, Johnson made a game-winning shot at the last second. But the Lakers won the series this time. Johnson said this loss was one of the hardest for him.

In the next season, the Celtics made the playoffs again. Johnson played well. They reached the 1986 NBA Finals and beat the Houston Rockets. Johnson won his third NBA championship.

The Celtics tried to win another title in 1987. Johnson played strong defense and made the All-Defensive First Team. In the playoffs, the Celtics had many exciting games. In one game against the Milwaukee Bucks, Johnson made an amazing play. He saved a ball from going out of bounds.

In the Eastern Conference Finals, the Celtics played the Detroit Pistons. It was a very intense rivalry. In Game 5, Johnson made a crucial layup with one second left. This shot won the game for the Celtics. Johnson said this was his favorite play ever. However, the Celtics lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1987 NBA Finals.

The next three seasons were tough for the Celtics. Johnson's playing time and stats went down as he got older. In his last season (1989–90), he was 35 years old. He started fewer games. But when another player got hurt, Johnson stepped up. His coach called him "our glue man." The Celtics did not make it past the first round of the playoffs that year.

Johnson retired after the 1990 season. The Celtics did not offer him a new contract. At his retirement ceremony, Magic Johnson called him "the best backcourt defender of all-time." Larry Bird, his Celtics teammate, said Johnson was the best teammate he ever had.

After Playing Basketball

After retiring, Dennis Johnson worked as a scout for the Celtics. From 1993 to 1997, he was an assistant coach for the Celtics. He later became an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Clippers in 2000. He even served as their head coach for 24 games in the 2002–03 season.

Johnson also worked as a scout for the Portland Trail Blazers. In 2004, he became the head coach for the NBA Development League team, the Florida Flame. The next season, he coached the Austin Toros until he passed away.

Dennis Johnson's Legacy

Dennis Johnson played 1,100 games in his career. He scored 15,535 points, grabbed 4,249 rebounds, and made 5,499 assists. This means he averaged about 14.1 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 5.0 assists per game.

He was known as an amazing defender. He was chosen for nine All-Defensive First or Second Teams in a row. NBA legend George Gervin said Johnson was the hardest defender he ever played against. Johnson was also known as a "money player." This means he was great in important moments. For example, he scored 32 points in a key Finals game. He also played incredible defense on Magic Johnson in the 1984 NBA Finals. And he made that famous last-second layup after Larry Bird's steal in 1987.

The NBA praises Johnson as a very versatile player. He was also known for being tough and playing almost every game. In 14 NBA seasons, he played in 1,100 out of 1,148 possible games. He also played in 180 playoff games, which is one of the highest numbers ever. When he retired, he was only the 11th NBA player to have more than 15,000 points and 5,000 assists.

On December 13, 1991, the Celtics retired his number 3 jersey. Johnson said he would always be a Boston Celtic. He felt a "special feeling" seeing his number in the rafters.

Many sports journalists thought Dennis Johnson should be in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. They felt it was unfair that he wasn't. Larry Bird, a Hall of Famer himself, called Johnson the best teammate he ever had. This is a huge compliment, as Bird played with many great players. On April 3, 2010, Johnson was chosen for the Basketball Hall of Fame. This was confirmed two days later.

On October 26, 2007, a learning center was opened in Johnson's name. It was at the YMCA in Boston. Larry Bird and M.L. Carr helped make it possible. Johnson's family was there for the ceremony. His wife, Donna, said Dennis would have loved the idea of the Learning Center.

The NBA G League Coach of the Year Award is named after Dennis Johnson.

Personal Life

Dennis Johnson was married to Donna for 31 years. They had three children: Dwayne, Denise, and Daniel. Dennis was also known for his freckles and reddish hair. His brother, Joey, was also a basketball star. Dennis's nephews, Nick and Chris, also played basketball.

Death

On February 22, 2007, Dennis Johnson had a heart attack. He collapsed at the end of an Austin Toros practice. He was rushed to the hospital but could not be saved. He passed away that day. He was survived by his wife and children.

Many people in the NBA were shocked by his death. Danny Ainge, a former Celtics teammate, called him "one of the most underrated players of all time." Bill Laimbeer, a former rival, called him "a great player on a great ballclub."

Images for kids

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Dennis Johnson para niños

  • 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
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