George T. Johnson facts for kids
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 18, 1948 Tylertown, Mississippi, U.S. |
| High school | Gulledge (Tylertown, Mississippi) |
| Listed height | 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) |
| Listed weight | 205 lb (93 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College | Dillard (1966–1970) |
| NBA Draft | 1970 / Round: 5 / Pick: 79th overall |
| Selected by the Chicago Bulls | |
| Pro career | 1972–1986 |
| Career history | |
| 1972–1977 | Golden State Warriors |
| 1977 | Buffalo Braves |
| 1977–1980 | New Jersey Nets |
| 1980–1982 | San Antonio Spurs |
| 1982–1983 | Atlanta Hawks |
| 1984–1985 | New Jersey Nets |
| 1985–1986 | Seattle SuperSonics |
| Career highlights and awards | |
|
|
| Career statistics | |
| Points | 4,369 (4.8 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 5,887 (6.5 rpg) |
| Blocks | 2,082 (2.5 bpg) |
George Thomas Johnson (born December 18, 1948) is a retired American professional basketball player. Standing 6 feet 11 inches tall, he played as a power forward and center. George Johnson played for 13 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA).
He was a member of several teams, including the Golden State Warriors, Buffalo Braves, New Jersey Nets, San Antonio Spurs, Atlanta Hawks, and Seattle SuperSonics. Johnson was a key player for the Warriors when they won the NBA Championship in 1975. Throughout his career, he was known for his strong defense and impressive blocked shots. He led the NBA in blocked shots per game three times. He also made the NBA All-Defensive Second Team in the 1980–81 season.
Contents
George Johnson's Basketball Career
Winning the NBA Championship
George Johnson was an important player for the Golden State Warriors team that won the NBA Championship in 1975. He helped his team by grabbing 5,887 rebounds during his career. Rebounding is when a player gets the ball after a shot is missed.
Blocking Shots and Defense
Johnson was excellent at blocking shots. He led the NBA in blocked shots per game three times. This means he stopped opponents from scoring more than any other player in those seasons. He was so good at defense that he was named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team in 1981. He blocked at least 10 shots in a single game six times during his NBA career.
A Rare "Five-by-Five" Game
George Johnson made history by recording the first "five-by-five" in NBA history. A five-by-five is when a player gets at least 5 in five different statistical categories in one game. On March 26, 1978, he had 15 points, 18 rebounds, 5 assists, 5 steals, and 7 blocks in a game against the Washington Bullets. This is a very rare achievement in basketball.
Time with the San Antonio Spurs
In the 1981–82 season, Johnson started 62 games for the San Antonio Spurs. He helped the Spurs win their division and reach the Western Conference finals. He was a solid player for the team during this time.
Unique Free Throw Style
George Johnson had a unique way of shooting free throws. He shot them underhanded, which means he tossed the ball up from below his waist. He was inspired to shoot this way by his teammate, Rick Barry, who also used this method.
NBA Career Statistics
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1972–73 | Golden State | 56 | – | 6.2 | .410 | – | .412 | 2.5 | 0.1 | – | – | 1.6 |
| 1973–74 | Golden State | 66 | – | 19.6 | .483 | – | .551 | 7.9 | 1.1 | 0.5 | 1.9 | 6.1 |
| 1974–75† | Golden State | 82 | – | 17.5 | .476 | – | .659 | 7.0 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 1.7 | 4.4 |
| 1975–76 | Golden State | 82 | – | 21.3 | .484 | – | .673 | 7.6 | 1.0 | 0.6 | 2.1 | 4.9 |
| 1976–77 | Golden State | 39 | – | 15.3 | .487 | – | .806 | 5.4 | 0.7 | 0.4 | 1.9 | 4.4 |
| 1976–77 | Buffalo | 39 | – | 27.1 | .448 | – | .687 | 10.3 | 2.0 | 0.6 | 2.7 | 7.6 |
| 1977–78 | New Jersey | 81 | – | 29.8 | .395 | – | .719 | 9.6 | 1.4 | 1.0 | 3.4* | 8.7 |
| 1978–79 | New Jersey | 78 | – | 26.4 | .427 | – | .761 | 7.9 | 1.1 | 0.9 | 3.2 | 6.6 |
| 1979–80 | New Jersey | 81 | – | 26.2 | .457 | .000 | .706 | 7.4 | 2.1 | 0.7 | 3.2 | 7.2 |
| 1980–81 | San Antonio | 82 | – | 23.6 | .473 | – | .734 | 7.3 | 1.1 | 0.6 | 3.4* | 5.0 |
| 1981–82 | San Antonio | 75 | 62 | 21.0 | .467 | – | .672 | 6.1 | 1.1 | 0.3 | 3.1* | 3.0 |
| 1982–83 | Atlanta | 37 | 0 | 12.5 | .439 | – | .737 | 3.2 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 1.6 | 1.7 |
| 1984–85 | New Jersey | 65 | 0 | 12.3 | .532 | 1.000 | .815 | 2.8 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 1.2 | 1.6 |
| 1985–86 | Seattle | 41 | 0 | 6.4 | .522 | – | .688 | 1.5 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.9 | 0.9 |
| Career | 904 | 62 | 20.0 | .451 | .500 | .694 | 6.5 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 2.5 | 4.8 | |
Playoffs
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | Golden State | 9 | – | 5.0 | .400 | – | .250 | 1.6 | 0.3 | – | – | 1.4 |
| 1975† | Golden State | 17 | – | 18.9 | .571 | – | .593 | 7.4 | 0.9 | 0.5 | 2.4 | 5.2 |
| 1976 | Golden State | 13 | – | 20.1 | .574 | – | .737 | 6.7 | 1.3 | 1.1 | 1.8 | 5.8 |
| 1979 | New Jersey | 2 | – | 35.0 | .667 | – | .333 | 12.5 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 3.5 | 14.5 |
| 1981 | San Antonio | 7 | – | 23.6 | .462 | – | .700 | 9.0 | 0.9 | 0.4 | 2.3 | 4.4 |
| 1982 | San Antonio | 9 | – | 19.4 | .500 | – | .600 | 5.1 | 1.3 | 0.7 | 1.7 | 1.2 |
| 1983 | Atlanta | 1 | 0 | 4.0 | – | – | – | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Career | 59 | 0 | 17.7 | .551 | – | .618 | 6.1 | 0.9 | 0.7 | 2.0 | 4.2 | |
See also
In Spanish: George T. Johnson para niños
- List of NBA career blocks leaders
- List of NBA annual blocks leaders
- List of NBA single-game rebounding leaders
- List of NBA single-game blocks leaders
