Gus Johnson
(1938-1987)
Hall of Fame Induction: 2010
Card Shown:
2013-14 NBA Hoops
Hall of Fame Heroes
Position: F/C
Height: 6’6″
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Gus “Honeycomb” Johnson was an athletic power forward who played the game like a man who was ahead of his time. At 6’6″ and 235 pounds, Gus flew through the air in a way that basketball fans would see again upon the arrival of Julius Erving. Johnson was a sculpted model of strength and yet he could handle the ball, take it to the hoop, pass, and rebound with advanced skill. His physique and basketball skill cause some to compare Gus to LeBron James. Johnson was also a tenacious, lock-down defender.
Awards and Honors
- Gus was chosen by the Baltimore Bullets with the 10th pick in the 1963 NBA Draft.
- In 1963-64, Johnson was selected to the NBA All-Rookie First Team along with Hall of Famers Jerry Lucas and Nate Thurmond. Gus was also selected to the All-NBA Second Team four times and the All-NBA Defensive First Team twice.
- Gus was a five-time NBA All-Star in 1965 and in 1968 through 1971.
- Johnson led the Baltimore Bullets to five playoff appearances in his nine seasons with the team. In 1971 he, along with Wes Unseld and Earl Monroe, led the Bullets to the NBA Finals where they were swept by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Oscar Robertson, and the Milwaukee Bucks.
- Playing on a team with Hall of Famers George McGinnis, Mel Daniels, and Roger Brown, Gus and the Indiana Pacers won the ABA Championship in 1973. This was during the last year of Johnson’s professional basketball career.
Points of Interest
- Gus played the majority of his ten-year professional career with the Baltimore Bullets. In his first eight years, Johnson averaged a double-double in points and rebounds each year.
- He finished his career (nine years in the NBA and one year in the ABA) with averages of 16.2 points and 12.1 rebounds per game.
- Gus and Hall of Famer Nate Thurmond played on the same high school team together at Central High in Akron, Ohio. Two other future Hall of Fame players also came out of Akron: LeBron James and Stephen Curry.
- Johnson was known as “Honeycomb” because his game was so sweet, but his game was also powerful. He may have been the first player to ever bring down the rim with his thunderous dunk. Basketball historians believe that he shattered three backboards during his career.
- Gus died from inoperable brain cancer in 1987, twenty-three years before the Hall of Fame was to induct him and call Johnson one of its own. Before he died, Gus would tell others that he knew he would make the Hall of Fame one day. It was just a matter of time.
Statistics
Gus Johnson Statistics
provided by Basketball-Reference.com
Gus Johnson
2016 Leaf Best of Basketball Cut Signature
