Celtic Great and Legend Dennis Johnson passes away at 52

[RobAce]

AUSTIN, Texas -- Dennis Johnson, the star NBA guard who was part of three championships and teamed with Larry Bird on one of the great postseason plays, died Thursday after collapsing at the end of his developmental team's practice. He was 52.

Johnson, coach of the Austin Toros, was unconscious and in cardiac arrest when paramedics arrived at Austin Convention Center, said Warren Hassinger, spokesman for Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services.

Here is the link for the whole article from espn....
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2775430

I was privledged to old enough to remember watching on TV the great Celtic/Laker teams of the 80's. I was not a fan of the Celtics, but I did enjoy watching Dennis Johnson. He always displayed what an all around basketball player should be, and seemed geniuine...unlike many of the players today.
It seems in his passing people remember him more, just a shame it took a tragic event to get him where he rightfully belongs in the Basketball Hall of Fame.

Rob

 

[Knox The Hatter]

I'm very sorry to hear this...I remember DJ well.

 

[CitY of MicA]

Here is the link for the whole article from espn....
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2775430

I was privledged to old enough to remember watching on TV the great Celtic/Laker teams of the 80's. I was not a fan of the Celtics, but I did enjoy watching Dennis Johnson. He always displayed what an all around basketball player should be, and seemed geniuine...unlike many of the players today.
It seems in his passing people remember him more, just a shame it took a tragic event to get him where he rightfully belongs in the Basketball Hall of Fame.

Rob

Thanks for posting this, Rob. Yeah, like you said, he was truly an all around basketball player. Great court awareness- extremely self-effacing and modest, too. I mean who, of that caliber player, refers to themselves as being average? From the below listed NY Times article:

“If you want to say I’m old, I’m old,” Johnson told the paper. “But you don’t have to say that I’m decrepit."

“My game revolves around the other four guys out there,” he said. “I’m not a great shooter, I don’t think of myself as a great passer or a great ball-handler, but I think of myself as average in every category. I think that’s what enabled me to last this number of years.”


It's hard to get a lot of recognition by playing great defense. But his story is pretty unique. I didn't see him play in his pre-Celtics days, but if you follow his history (the second link below details it really well), you realize that he won wherever he went. In his second season with the Sonics, they went to the NBA championship, and in his third season they won it all (and he was the Finals MVP). Credit the Sonics for having that much forsight in drafting him. It takes a specific type of personality to be the go-to guy playing 7 years with the Sonics and the Suns and then to put that all aside in order to fit in with the Celtics. But if you look at his overall stats (also at the bottom of that second link), including rebouding, steals, and blocks, you wonder what the guy couldn't do. Guys who play great team ball, assume different rolls, and do it all should be recognized for their accomplishments. And that cut to the basket and lay-up he made on Bird's steal in the 1987 playoffs was an absolutely terrific, heads-up play. Heck, I'm going to attach a clip of it...

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/23/sports/basketball/23johnson.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
http://www.nba.com/history/players/djohnson_bio.html

 

[daddy]

I always loved DJ...Watched him play many, many times. A real clutch player with great court awareness. It's so unreal to think of sports stars who pass away from heart attacks at such a young age...just like Maravich. You would think they have the best medical care on the planet, plus most athletes take very good care of their bodies. Just goes to show ya, it can happen anytime anywhere I guess.

RIP DJ...you entertained the heck out of me!

peace out,
daddy

 

[luvgirlsfeet]

I've been to one Celtics game in my life and i wish I saw him play