John Howard Getty "J. J." Johnson (October 18, 1947 – January 7, 2016) was an American professional
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
player.
High school and college career
Johnson played high school basketball at
Messmer High School in
Milwaukee
Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee is ...
,
Wisconsin
Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...
. As a senior, he helped lead Messmer to the Wisconsin state title in 1966.
Johnson, a 6’7"
small forward
The small forward (SF), also known as the three or swingman, is one of the five positions in a regulation basketball game. Small forwards are typically shorter, quicker, and leaner than power forwards and centers but taller, larger, and stronger t ...
, then played for
Northwest College
Northwest College is a Public college, public community college in Powell, Wyoming.
History
Northwest College opened in 1946, as the "University of Wyoming Northwest Center," with the support of the University of Wyoming and the local school dis ...
in
Powell, Wyoming
Powell is a city in Park County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 6,314 at the 2010 census. Powell is an All-America City and home to Northwest College.
History
Powell was incorporated in 1909. Powell was named for John Wesley Powell ...
and for the
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is org ...
. He set an Iowa record for points in a season
during his senior year, when he averaged 27.9 points per game.
Johnson also holds Iowa's top two scoring performances with 49 and 46 points.
Johnson played two seasons for Iowa, leading the team in scoring and rebounding both seasons.
[ Johnson, accompanied by later Seattle SuperSonics teammate Fred Brown, guided Iowa to a 14-0 Big Ten record and NCAA tournament berth in 1970.
]
Professional career
Johnson was selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cleveland Cavaliers (often referred to as the Cavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Ea ...
with the 7th pick of the 1970 NBA Draft
The 1970 NBA draft was the 24th annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on March 23, 1970, before the 1970–71 season. In this draft, 17 NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball player ...
. Johnson was also selected in the 1970 ABA Draft by the Texas Chaparrals
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See also
* Wikipedia:Naming conventions (common ...
.1970 ABA Draft at BasketballReference.com
He was the first Cavaliers player to play in an
NBA All Star Game
The National Basketball Association All-Star Game is a basketball exhibition game hosted every February by the National Basketball Association (NBA) and showcases 24 of the league's star players. It is the featured event of NBA All-Star Weekend, a ...
.
In 1977, Johnson was traded to the
Seattle SuperSonics
The Seattle SuperSonics (commonly known as the Seattle Sonics) were an American professional basketball team based in Seattle. The SuperSonics competed in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member club of the league's Western Confe ...
and was reunited with former Iowa Hawkeye teammate
Fred Brown. Johnson was a key contributor for Seattle, who went to the NBA Finals in
1977–78 and won an
NBA championship
The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern and Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven game series to determine the league champion. The team that wins the series is awa ...
in
1978–79 while possibly becoming the first
point forward
Point forward is a nontraditional position in basketball, with a small forward—or sometimes a power forward or combo forward—adding the responsibilities of point guard to their play.
Characteristics
Generally, teams employ a point forward ...
in league history as he was the player who more often set the plays for the Sonics rather than their star guards
Dennis Johnson
Dennis Wayne Johnson (September 18, 1954 – February 22, 2007), nicknamed "DJ", was an American professional basketball player for the National Basketball Association's (NBA) Seattle SuperSonics, Phoenix Suns, and Boston Celtics. He was a c ...
and
Gus Williams.
Overall, Johnson had a productive 12-year
NBA
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...
career with four teams, making two
NBA All-Star Game
The National Basketball Association All-Star Game is a basketball exhibition game hosted every February by the National Basketball Association (NBA) and showcases 24 of the league's star players. It is the featured event of NBA All-Star Weekend, a ...
appearances and scoring 11,200 career points. He ended his NBA career in Seattle in the early 1980s.
Later years
Johnson moved from Seattle to San Jose when his son Mitch was recruited to play for Stanford. His son played on the
Stanford University
Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...
basketball team from 2005 to 2008.
On January 7, 2016, at age 68, John Johnson died in his San Jose residence of undetermined cause.
References
External links
1947 births
2016 deaths
African-American basketball players
All-American college men's basketball players
American men's basketball players
Basketball players from Mississippi
Basketball players from Milwaukee
Cleveland Cavaliers draft picks
Cleveland Cavaliers players
Houston Rockets players
Iowa Hawkeyes men's basketball players
Junior college men's basketball players in the United States
National Basketball Association All-Stars
People from Carthage, Mississippi
Portland Trail Blazers players
Seattle SuperSonics players
Small forwards
Texas Chaparrals draft picks
20th-century African-American sportspeople
21st-century African-American people
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