Eddie Johnson (basketball, born 1959) facts for kids
Johnson (c. 1986)
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| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 1, 1959 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| High school | Westinghouse (Chicago, Illinois) |
| Listed height | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) |
| Listed weight | 215 lb (98 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College | Illinois (1977–1981) |
| NBA Draft | 1981 / Round: 2 / Pick: 29th overall |
| Selected by the Kansas City Kings | |
| Pro career | 1981–1999 |
| Career history | |
| 1981–1987 | Kansas City / Sacramento Kings |
| 1987–1990 | Phoenix Suns |
| 1990–1993 | Seattle SuperSonics |
| 1993–1994 | Charlotte Hornets |
| 1994–1995 | Olympiacos |
| 1995–1997 | Indiana Pacers |
| 1997–1999 | Houston Rockets |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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| Career NBA statistics | |
| Points | 19,202 (16.0 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 4,832 (4.0 rpg) |
| Assists | 2,550 (2.1 apg) |
Edward Arnet Johnson, born on May 1, 1959, is a former professional basketball player from the United States. He played for 17 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He also spent a year playing in the Greek Basket League during his career.
Eddie Johnson played almost 1,200 games in the NBA. He scored a lot of points, ranking high among players who never made it to an NBA All-Star Game. As of the 2018–19 NBA season, he was 52nd in all-time points scored. He is also known for being a TV analyst for the Phoenix Suns and co-hosting NBA Today on Sirius XM NBA Radio.
Contents
Early Life and College Basketball
Eddie Johnson went to Westinghouse High School in Chicago. He was a great shooter, standing 6 feet 7 inches tall. After high school, he studied history at the University of Illinois.
In 1981, the Kansas City Kings picked him in the 1981 NBA draft. Fans of the Fighting Illini remember him for a special game. He made a game-winning shot against Michigan State University. At that time, Michigan State was undefeated and ranked #1 in the country. They had future NBA superstar Earvin "Magic" Johnson on their team. Illinois was also undefeated at 14–0. Eddie's shot gave Illinois a 15–0 record and the #2 national ranking.
In 2004, Eddie Johnson was chosen for the "Illini Men's Basketball All-Century Team." He was also inducted into the Illinois Athletics Hall of Fame in 2019.
Professional Playing Career
Eddie Johnson played for many teams during his career. These included the Kings, Phoenix Suns, Seattle SuperSonics, Charlotte Hornets, Indiana Pacers, and Houston Rockets. He also played for the Greek team Olympiacos from 1994 to 1995. He retired from basketball in 1999.
He scored 19,202 points in 1,199 NBA games. This was a very high total when he retired. Even with all those points, he was never picked for an NBA All-Star game. His biggest award was in 1989 when he won the NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award while playing for the Suns. This award goes to the best player who usually comes off the bench.
Playing in Europe
Eddie Johnson played one year in the Greek Basket League for Olympiacos Piraeus during the 1994–95 season. He became a fan favorite because of his amazing three-point shooting.
One game made him a legend for the club's fans. He scored four three-pointers in the last few minutes of a tough semi-final game. This game was against Panathinaikos Athens, their biggest rivals. Olympiacos won that game 58–52. They then played in the final but lost to Real Madrid Teka. In the EuroLeague, Eddie averaged 21.9 points per game.
Eddie did win a championship in the Greek Basket League. He helped Olympiacos win the 1995 Greek playoff finals against Panathinaikos. Olympiacos won the final game 45–44, which was a very close and exciting match. In the Greek Basket League, he averaged 21.2 points per game.
Return to the NBA
After his year overseas, Eddie Johnson came back to the NBA. He started the 1995–96 season with the Indiana Pacers. Later, he joined the Houston Rockets and played for them for two more seasons.
Besides his Sixth Man of the Year Award, he is also remembered for a game-winning shot. He hit a three-pointer as time ran out in a 95–92 Rockets win. This happened against the Utah Jazz in game 4 of the 1997 Western Conference Finals. Eddie played one more full season for the Rockets and then three games the next season before retiring.
Life After Basketball
After his playing career, Eddie Johnson became a color commentator for basketball games. He worked for Arizona State, the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury, and currently for the Phoenix Suns.
He is also a motivational speaker. He has released an instructional DVD called Eddie Johnson's Jumpshot and Offensive Skills. Eddie also writes articles for Hoopshype.com and enjoys discussing his ideas with readers.
College Honors
- 1979 – Honorable Mention All-Big Ten
- 1980 – Team MVP
- 1980 – 2nd Team All-Big Ten
- 1981 – Team Captain
- 1981 – Team MVP
- 1981 – 1st Team All-Big Ten
- 2004 – Elected to the "Illini Men's Basketball All-Century Team"
- 2008 – Honored as one of the thirty-three honored jerseys which hang in the State Farm Center. This shows he is one of the most celebrated basketball players in University of Illinois history.
- 2019 – Inducted into the Illinois Athletics Hall of Fame
Career Statistics
NBA
| Legend | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
Regular Season
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981–82 | Kansas City | 74 | 27 | 20.5 | .459 | .091 | .664 | 4.4 | 1.5 | .7 | .2 | 9.3 |
| 1982–83 | Kansas City | 82 | 82 | 35.8 | .494 | .282 | .779 | 6.1 | 2.6 | .9 | .2 | 19.8 |
| 1983–84 | Kansas City | 82 | 82 | 35.6 | .485 | .313 | .810 | 5.5 | 3.6 | .9 | .3 | 21.9 |
| 1984–85 | Kansas City | 82 | 81 | 36.9 | .491 | .241 | .871 | 5.0 | 3.3 | 1.0 | .3 | 22.9 |
| 1985–86 | Sacramento | 82 | 30 | 30.7 | .475 | .200 | .816 | 5.1 | 2.6 | .7 | .2 | 18.7 |
| 1986–87 | Sacramento | 81 | 30 | 30.3 | .463 | .314 | .829 | 4.4 | 3.1 | .5 | .2 | 18.7 |
| 1987–88 | Phoenix | 73 | 59 | 29.8 | .480 | .255 | .850 | 4.4 | 2.5 | .5 | .1 | 17.7 |
| 1988–89 | Phoenix | 70 | 7 | 29.2 | .497 | .413 | .868 | 4.4 | 2.3 | .7 | .1 | 21.5 |
| 1989–90 | Phoenix | 64 | 4 | 28.3 | .453 | .380 | .917 | 3.8 | 1.7 | .5 | .2 | 16.9 |
| 1990–91 | Phoenix | 15 | 0 | 20.8 | .473 | .286 | .724 | 3.1 | 1.1 | .6 | .1 | 13.5 |
| Seattle | 66 | 27 | 26.9 | .486 | .333 | .912 | 3.4 | 1.4 | .7 | .1 | 17.4 | |
| 1991–92 | Seattle | 81 | 19 | 29.2 | .459 | .252 | .861 | 3.6 | 2.0 | .7 | .1 | 17.1 |
| 1992–93 | Seattle | 82 | 0 | 22.8 | .467 | .304 | .911 | 3.3 | 1.6 | .4 | .0 | 14.4 |
| 1993–94 | Charlotte | 73 | 27 | 20.0 | .459 | .393 | .780 | 3.1 | 1.7 | .5 | .1 | 11.5 |
| 1995–96 | Indiana | 62 | 1 | 16.2 | .413 | .352 | .886 | 2.5 | 1.1 | .3 | .1 | 7.7 |
| 1996–97 | Indiana | 28 | 0 | 10.9 | .434 | .321 | .741 | 1.4 | .6 | .2 | .0 | 5.3 |
| Houston | 24 | 2 | 25.3 | .447 | .388 | .854 | 4.1 | 1.5 | .4 | .0 | 11.5 | |
| 1997–98 | Houston | 75 | 1 | 19.9 | .417 | .333 | .831 | 2.0 | 1.2 | .4 | .0 | 8.4 |
| 1998–99 | Houston | 3 | 0 | 6.0 | .462 | .000 | — | .7 | .3 | .0 | .0 | 4.0 |
| Career | 1,199 | 479 | 27.2 | .472 | .335 | .840 | 4.0 | 2.1 | .6 | .2 | 16.0 | |
Playoffs
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Kansas City | 3 | — | 35.7 | .438 | .400 | 1.000 | 3.3 | 4.0 | 1.0 | .3 | 17.0 |
| 1986 | Sacramento | 3 | 1 | 32.0 | .436 | .000 | .889 | 7.0 | 1.3 | 1.0 | .3 | 18.7 |
| 1989 | Phoenix | 12 | 0 | 32.7 | .413 | .342 | .769 | 7.3 | 2.1 | 1.0 | .2 | 17.8 |
| 1990 | Phoenix | 16 | 0 | 21.1 | .450 | .395 | .787 | 3.6 | 1.1 | .6 | .3 | 12.3 |
| 1991 | Seattle | 5 | 5 | 34.2 | .517 | .267 | .828 | 4.2 | 1.4 | 1.4 | .2 | 24.0 |
| 1992 | Seattle | 9 | 0 | 27.4 | .474 | .182 | .941 | 3.0 | .9 | .3 | .3 | 18.4 |
| 1993 | Seattle | 19 | 0 | 20.1 | .390 | .333 | .935 | 2.4 | .9 | .2 | .1 | 10.8 |
| 1996 | Indiana | 1 | 0 | 9.0 | .000 | .000 | .0 | 1.0 | .0 | .0 | .0 | |
| 1997 | Houston | 16 | 0 | 17.8 | .410 | .298 | .958 | 2.3 | .6 | .3 | .0 | 8.3 |
| 1998 | Houston | 5 | 0 | 17.8 | .333 | .300 | .875 | 1.6 | .2 | .0 | .0 | 5.6 |
| Career | 89 | 6 | 23.8 | .429 | .310 | .864 | 3.5 | 1.1 | .5 | .1 | 13.1 | |
FIBA European League
| 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 | PIR | Performance Index Rating |
| Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG | PIR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994–95 | Olympiacos | 18 | — | 35.1 | .432 | .387 | .850 | 4.6 | 1.8 | .7 | .0 | 21.9 | — |
College
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977–78 | Illinois | 27 | 3 | 17.4 | .427 | — | .741 | 3.1 | .6 | .4 | .3 | 8.1 |
| 1978–79 | Illinois | 30 | 27 | 26.2 | .415 | — | .531 | 5.7 | 1.7 | .6 | .1 | 12.1 |
| 1979–80 | Illinois | 35 | 35 | 34.7 | .462 | — | .655 | 8.9 | 2.0 | .4 | .2 | 17.4 |
| 1980–81 | Illinois | 29 | 29 | 34.8 | .494 | — | .756 | 9.2 | 2.4 | 1.0 | .2 | 17.2 |
| Career | 121 | 94 | 28.8 | .454 | — | .671 | 6.9 | 1.7 | .6 | .2 | 14.0 | |
See also
In Spanish: Eddie Johnson (baloncestista) para niños
- List of National Basketball Association career games played leaders
