Dennis Johnson
(1954-2007)
Hall of Fame Induction: 2010
Card Shown:
2003-04 Upper Deck Legends
Legendary Signatures
Position: PG/SG
Height: 6’4″
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Dennis Johnson (also known as D.J.) was the point guard who led the big three of Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, and Robert Parish to two NBA Championships in the 1980s. Known as a tough defender and clutch shooter, Dennis also won a championship with the Seattle Supersonics. Well respected by his peers, Johnson ended his 14-year pro career with 15,535 points, 5,499 assists, 4,249 rebounds, 1,477 steals, and 675 blocks.
Awards and Honors
- Dennis, along with Gus Williams and Jack Sikma, led the Seattle Supersonics to the 1979 NBA Championship. In the Finals he averaged 22.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 6.0 assists and was named the Finals MVP.
- Johnson won two more NBA championships with the Boston Celtics in 1984 and 1986, leading those great Celtics teams that included Bird, Parish, and McHale.
- Dennis was a five-time NBA All-Star selection from 1979-1982 and 1985.
- Johnson was known as one of the top defenders in the game. He was named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team six times and was selected to the All-Defensive Second Team three times.
- Dennis was All-NBA First Team once (1980-81) and All-NBA Second Team once (1979-80) during his career.
- His #3 jersey was retired by the Celtics in 1991.
Points of Interest
- A 5’9″ guard in high school, Johnson only played a few minutes a game. He was working at a warehouse after high school when junior college coach Jim White saw his tough defense during a local league game and asked him to enroll. Two years later, now standing 6’4″ tall, Dennis led Harbor Community College to a state title.
- Johnson received only two college scholarship offers and decided to attend Pepperdine University. In his one year there, before declaring hardship and entering the NBA Draft, Dennis led the Waves into the Top 20 and the NCAA Tournament.
- The iconic play that Johnson is best known for was the basket he made in the Game 5 of the 1987 conference finals against Detroit. In the waning moments of the game Larry Bird stole the inbounds pass and fed a cutting Johnson for the game-winning layup that gave the Celtics a 3-2 edge in the series. Boston went on to defeat Detroit in seven games. (see video below)
- After retiring as a player, Dennis served as a scout for Boston, an assistant coach for the Celtics and the Clippers, and briefly as the head coach of the Clippers. Johnson also coached the Austin Toros in the NBA Development League.
- The two most iconic basketball stars of the 1980s, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson, both had high praise for Dennis Johnson. Larry called him the best player he had played with in his life and Magic said Dennis was the greatest defensive player he ever played against.
Statistics
Dennis Johnson Statistics
provided by Basketball-Reference.com