Donald Neil Johnston (February 4, 1929 – September 28, 1978) was an American

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 and coach. A

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, Johnston played in the

National Basketball Association 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 S ...

(NBA) from 1951 to 1959. He was a member of the

Philadelphia Warriors The history of the Golden State Warriors began in Philadelphia in 1946. In 1962, the franchise was relocated to San Francisco, California and became known as the San Francisco Warriors until 1971, when its name was changed to the current Golden St ...

for his entire career. Known for his hook shot, Johnston was a six-time NBA All-Star; he led the NBA in scoring three times and led the league in rebounding once. He won an NBA championship with the Warriors in 1956. After his playing career ended due to a knee injury, Johnston coached in the NBA, in other professional basketball leagues, and at the collegiate level. He was inducted into the

Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 1000 Hall of Fame Avenue in Springfield, Massachusetts. It serves as basketball's most complete library, in addition to promoting and pres ...

as a player in 1990.

Early life

Johnston was born on February 4, 1929. He was a 1946 graduate of Chillicothe High School in

Chillicothe, Ohio Chillicothe ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Ross County, Ohio, United States. Located along the Scioto River 45 miles (72 km) south of Columbus, Chillicothe was the first and third capital of Ohio. It is the only city in Ross Count ...

, where he was an all-state player in basketball. He led the Red Devils to an undefeated 16-0 regular season and ranked second in Ohio in 1945-46 as the team won its finale 82-19 behind Johnston's 38 points. He averaged 23.7 per game that year, playing only about half of some games. The team was upset in their second postseason game. Johnston was named second team All-Ohio

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Class A (large school). He was also a high jumper on the track team and qualified for the state track meet and he was on the tennis team. Johnston attended

Ohio State University The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best publ ...

, where he played both

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

and

. Johnston signed a professional

contract with the

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...

after two years of college. After failing to distinguish himself in minor league baseball, he tried out for the NBA's

at the team camp in

Hershey, Pennsylvania Hershey is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Derry Township, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is home to The Hershey Company, which was founded by candy magnate Milton S. Hershey. The community is lo ...

in 1951 and was signed to a contract.

Professional basketball career

Johnston played for the Philadelphia Warriors from 1951 to 1959. He spent his entire playing career with the Warriors. The 6'8" Johnston was known for his sweeping right-handed hook shot. Johnston led the NBA in scoring for three consecutive seasons: 1952–53, 1953–54, and 1954–55. During the 1954–55 season, he also won the league's rebounding title. He led the league in field goal percentage in the 1952–53, 1955–56, and 1956–57 seasons. Johnston was a member of the Warriors' NBA championship-winning 1956 team. He played in six NBA All-Star Games, was an All-NBA First Team selection four times, and was an All-NBA Second Team selection once. Johnston was forced to retire after the 1958–59 season due to a knee injury. During his eight-year career, he averaged 19.4 points per game, 11.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists, with a field goal percentage of .444 and a free throw percentage of .768.

Coaching career

After his playing career ended, Johnston was head coach of the Philadelphia Warriors during the 1959–60 and 1960–61 seasons before resigning. Johnston coached the Warriors during the first two seasons of

Wilt Chamberlain Wilton Norman Chamberlain (; August 21, 1936 – October 12, 1999) was an American professional basketball player who played as a Center (basketball), center. Standing at tall, he played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for 14 yea ...

's NBA career, compiling a record of 95-59. He also worked as an assistant coach under

Jack McCloskey John William McCloskey (September 19, 1925 – June 1, 2017) was an American basketball player, coach and executive. He served as the head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers and general manager of the Detroit Pistons and Minnesota Timberwolves. As ...

with the

Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Con ...

and at

Wake Forest University Wake Forest University is a private research university in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Founded in 1834, the university received its name from its original location in Wake Forest, north of Raleigh, North Carolina. The Reynolda Campus, the un ...

. Johnston coached the

Pittsburgh Rens The Pittsburgh Rens were an American basketball team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, that was a member of the American Basketball League from 1961–1963. History The American Basketball League played one full season, 1961–1962, and pa ...

of the American Basketball League and the Wilmington Blue Bombers of the Eastern Basketball League; in addition, he coached at Chemeketa Community College. His last job was as athletic director at

North Lake College Dallas College North Lake Campus (often referred to as North Lake or NLC) is a Public college, public community college in Irving, Texas. It is part of Dallas College. It opened in 1977 and enrolls about 5,000 credit students and an additional ...

Irving, Texas Irving is a city in the U.S. state of Texas. Located in Dallas County, it is also an inner ring suburb of Dallas. The city of Irving is part of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. According to a 2019 estimate from the United States Census Bureau, ...

Death and legacy

On September 28, 1978, Johnston died of a heart attack at age 49 while playing basketball with his son, Scott, in Bedford, Texas. A memorial service was held at North Lake College and at St. Paul's Methodist Church in

Hurst, Texas Hurst is a city in the U.S. state of Texas located in the densely populated portion of northeastern Tarrant County and is part of the Dallas–Fort Worth metropolitan area. It is considered a Dallas and Fort Worth suburb and is part of the Mid-Ci ...

. He was survived by his wife, Phyllis (Wilson); three daughters, Nancy, Barbara and Kay; and twin sons Daniel and Scott; and three brothers. In 1980, Johnston was inducted into the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame. In 1990, he was enshrined in the

and the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame. Johnston was inducted into the

National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame The National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame, located in Kansas City, Missouri, is a hall of fame and museum dedicated to men's college basketball. The museum is an integral portion of the College Basketball Experience created by the National ...

in 2006.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

References

External links

*
Neil Johnston statistics on Basketball-Reference (as a player)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnston, Neil 1929 births 1978 deaths American Basketball League (1961–62) coaches American men's basketball coaches American men's basketball players Basketball coaches from Ohio Basketball players from Ohio Centers (basketball) Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductees National Basketball Association All-Stars National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame inductees Ohio State Buckeyes baseball players Ohio State Buckeyes men's basketball players Philadelphia Warriors head coaches Philadelphia Warriors players Pittsburgh Rens players Portland Trail Blazers assistant coaches Sportspeople from Chillicothe, Ohio Undrafted National Basketball Association players Wake Forest Demon Deacons men's basketball coaches Eastern Basketball Association coaches