Gus Johnson (basketball)

This article is about the basketball player. For other people named Gus Johnson, see Gus Johnson (disambiguation).

Gus Johnson
Johnson with the Indiana Pacers
during the 1972–73 ABA season
Personal information
Born(1938-12-13)December 13, 1938
Akron, Ohio, U.S.
DiedApril 29, 1987(1987-04-29) (aged 48)
Akron, Ohio, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Listed weight230 lb (104 kg)
Career information
High schoolCentral (Akron, Ohio)
College
NBA draft1963: 2nd round, 10th overall pick
Selected by the Chicago Zephyrs
Playing career1963–1973
PositionPower forward / small forward
Number25, 13
Career history
1963–1972Baltimore Bullets
1972Phoenix Suns
1972–1973Indiana Pacers
Career highlights and awards
Career NBA and ABA statistics
Points10,243 (16.2 ppg)
Rebounds7,624 (12.1 rpg)
Assists1,603 (2.5 apg)
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata
Basketball Hall of Fame

Gus (Honeycomb) Johnson Jr. (December 13, 1938 – April 29, 1987) was an American college and professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and American Basketball Association (NBA). A chiseled 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m), 235-pound (107 kg) forward who occasionally played center,[1] Johnson spent nine seasons with the Baltimore Bullets before he split his final campaign between the Phoenix Suns and ABA champions Indiana Pacers. He was a five-time NBA All-Star before chronic knee issues and dubious off-court habits took their tolls late in his career.

Johnson was the prototype of the modern NBA power forward, a rare combination of brute strength, deceptive quickness, creative flair and startling leaping ability who played with equal flair and ferocity at both ends of the court. Well known for his frequent forays above the rim, he was among the first wave of great dunk shot artists in the game. He shattered three backboards on dunk attempts in his career, tearing down his first basket in 1964 at the Kiel Auditorium in St. Louis against the Hawks.[2] He last shattered a backboard against the Milwaukee Bucks on January 10, 1971, leaving the game with an injured wrist.[3]

Known as "The Honeycomb Kid", or "Honeycomb" for short, a nickname that his University of Idaho coach bestowed on him, Johnson was one of the colorful personalities of his era. He wore expensive shoes and Continental suits and drove a purple Bonneville convertible around town. Early in his career, he had a gold star set into one of his front teeth, which was readily seen in his friendly smile. Because as Johnson once put it, a star deserved a star.[4][5]

As a member of the Bullets, Johnson was voted to the All-Rookie Team for 1963–64, averaging 17.3 points and 13.6 rebounds per game.[6] He was named to the All-NBA Second Team four times and to the All-NBA Defense First Team on two occasions.[7] His number 25 jersey was retired by the Bullets franchise in 1986, months before his death.[8][9]

Johnson was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010.[10]

  1. ^ "Gus Johnson Stats". Basketball-Reference.com.
  2. ^ Tribune, Chicago (December 14, 1986). "WILL GUS JOHNSON`S LEGEND LIVE ON?". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved September 27, 2024.
  3. ^ Allen, Scott (December 5, 2017). "Gus Johnson shattered a backboard during the worst loss in Wizards franchise history". The Washington Post.
  4. ^ Goldaper, Sam (April 30, 1987). "Gus Johnson, ex-N.B.A. star with Baltimore, is dead at 48". New York Times.
  5. ^ Smith, Marlin (December 31, 1997). "How great was Gus Johnson?". Archived from the original on November 25, 2005.
  6. ^ Kram, Mark (December 21, 1964). "A touch and a tooth of gold". Sports Illustrated. p. 60.
  7. ^ "Gus Johnson | Baltimore Bullets". www.nba.com. Retrieved September 27, 2024.
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference auto3 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference :2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ "Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Announces Class of 2010" (Press release). Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. April 5, 2010. Archived from the original on April 9, 2010. Retrieved April 5, 2010.