DENNIS JOHNSON


Born;
September 18, 1954


"DJ" played for the Celtics for seven seasons, from 1983 through 1990.

He helped lead the Celtics to a pair of NBA world championship titles in 1984 and 1986.

Was also a member of the Seattle SuperSonics world championship team in 1979, and earned Most Valuable Player honors that year in post-season play.

Was named to the All-NBA second team in 1980.

Was named an All-NBA first team member in 1981

Was named to the NBA All-Defensive first team five consecutive seasons (1978-79 through 1982-83) and again in 1987.

Was named to the NBA All-Defensive second team three straight years (1984, 1985, 1986).

Was a five-time NBA All-Star 1979-82 and 1985.

Was an Assistant Coach for the Celtics from 1992-93 through 1996-97



Imagine then, that the year is 1972.  A player languishes on the bench at California's Dominguez High School, unable to garner any meaningful minutes, his hoops resume noteworthy only for being cut from his seventh and eighth grade teams.  He is always the tenth or eleventh man in the game, a bencher who averages no more than three minutes per contest.  The player’s name is Dennis Johnson.  He is so underwhelming that not a single college recruiter comes calling to talk scholarship.  He is light years away from a career as a professional athlete, an idea so farfetched that Johnson. better known as DJ while establishing himself as one of the greatest guards in NBA history, graduates from Dominguez High and takes a $2.75/hour job driving a forklift.

While the job puts spending money in Johnson's pockets, it does nothing to quench his thirst for competitive basketball.  He dreams of playing in the pros.  After work he hops the bus to play in summer league games with his brothers.  He holds his own, and the itch intensifies.  Then an amazing thing happens; the once too-small high school player grows to a muscular 6' 3" basketball junkie with springs for legs.  He begins to dominate the summer league and in the process catches the eye of Jim White, then-coach of nearby Harbor Junior College.  White sees enough potential in Johnson to offer a scholarship.

Coached by the classy Gary Colson, DJ refines his game and attracts the attention of ex-Celtic great Bill Russell, then serving as the Seattle SuperSonics' GM.  Russell drafts the talented guard in the second round of the 1976 NBA Draft, and three years later the player who couldn't even start for Dominguez High School is named the NBA Finals MVP.

There are clashes with other coaches, most notably with Lenny Wilkins in Seattle.  Also, harsh words like ˜malcontent™ and ˜cancer™ are used to describe Johnson during his brief stay with the Phoenix Suns.  Yet through it all no one denies that Johnson is a winner.  His 1983 arrival in Boston is an instant success as the Celtics go on to defeat the hated Los Angeles Lakers in one of the most highly anticipated NBA Finals ever.  It is a signature series for the talented guard, who scores 20 or more points in each of the last four games while guarding Magic Johnson.  Years later Larry Bird offers DJ the highest praise of all, calling him "the best I ever played with." The Celtics play in four NBA Finals during Johnson's first four years on the team, winning two championships and dispelling his image as that of a selfish backbiter.  His reputation as a clutch player and one of the greatest defensive guards in NBA history grows with each season in Boston uniform.  Upon retirement his resume boasts six trips to the NBA Finals, three NBA World Championships and one NBA Finals MVP award â€" not bad for this longest of long shots from Compton, California. On December 13, 1991 the Celtics honor Johnson with the ultimate award, retiring his Number 3 jersey to the Boston Garden rafters.  It is the crowning achievement of a player who beats the odds and proves that late bloomers can go on to have highly successful NBA careers.

DJ is now an assistant coach with the Los Angeles Clippers.  This interview takes place during training camp as the Clippers prepare to open the 2002-03 season. Dennis Johnson is a case study in perseverance and his story should serve as an inspiration to everyone.









December13. 1991