Vickie Johnson (born April 15, 1972) is an American former basketball player and head coach of the
Dallas Wings
The Dallas Wings are an American basketball team based in Arlington, Texas. The Wings play in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The team is owned by a group which is led by chairman Bill Cameron. Greg ...
. Johnson is the former head coach of the
San Antonio Stars
The San Antonio Stars were a professional basketball team based in San Antonio, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The team was founded in Salt Lake City, Utah, as the Utah Starzz before the ...
. Upon the sale and relocation of the Stars, Johnson was hired by head coach
Bill Laimbeer
William J. Laimbeer Jr. (born May 19, 1957) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who spent the majority of his career with the Detroit Pistons. Known for his rough and violent style of play, he played a big part in the P ...
as an assistant coach of the
Las Vegas Aces
The Las Vegas Aces are an American professional basketball team based in the Las Vegas Valley, Las Vegas metropolitan area. The Aces compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member club of the league's Western Conferenc ...
, the Stars' decedent team.
Early years
Johnson grew up in
Coushatta, Louisiana
Coushatta is a town in, and the parish seat of, rural Red River Parish, Louisiana, Red River Parish in north Louisiana, United States. It is situated on the east bank of the Red River of the South, Red River. The community is approximately 45 mile ...
. Johnson was a letter-man in basketball and track and field. In track and field, she was the Louisiana State Champion on the long jump as a senior.
College years
Vickie Johnson was a two-time All-American and
Sun Belt Conference
The Sun Belt Conference (SBC) is a collegiate athletic conference that has been affiliated with the NCAA's Division I since 1976. Originally a non-football conference, the Sun Belt began sponsoring football in 2001. Its football teams participa ...
MVP at
Louisiana Tech University
Louisiana Tech University (Louisiana Tech, La. Tech, or simply Tech) is a public research university in Ruston, Louisiana. It is part of the University of Louisiana System and classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activ ...
. She led the
Lady Techsters to the
1994 NCAA Championship Game, was named Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year in 1995 and earned Louisiana Player of the Year honors in 1996. She finished her career at Louisiana Tech with 1,891 career points and 831 rebounds and was inducted into the
Louisiana Tech Athletic Hall of Fame The Louisiana Tech University Athletic Hall of Fame was established in 1984 to honor student-athletes, coaches, administrators, and benefactors who have been highly successful at Louisiana Tech and who have distinguished themselves professionally. ...
in 2007. She graduated from Louisiana Tech in 1996.
WNBA career
Johnson was selected 12th overall in the second round of the inaugural
WNBA Elite draft
In 1997, the Women's National Basketball Association
The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) is an American professional basketball league. It is composed of twelve teams, all based in the United States. The league was founded on A ...
in 1997, which was composed of professional women's basketball players who had competed in other leagues, usually international leagues.
She was a two-time WNBA all-star and was the first New York Liberty player to record 2000 points.
In June 2005 in honor of Johnson's 3,000 points scored, Sandy Levine, owner of the world-famous Carnegie Deli in
Manhattan
Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
, created the VJ Classic sandwich, a belly-busting sandwich.
Johnson ended an eight-year career with the Liberty by signing with the San Antonio Silver Stars on February 9, 2006.
Johnson retired from play at the end of 2009 season.
Vickie Johnson Announces her Retirement at the End of 2009 Season
/ref>
Coaching record
, -
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, align="left" , 2017
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In Indian cuisine, ''dal'' (also spelled ''daal'' or ''dhal''; pronunciation: , Hindi: दाल, Urdu: ) are dried, split pulses (e.g., lentils, peas, and beans) that do not require soaking before cooking. India is the largest producer of p ...
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File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...
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European career
* 1996-1997: Tarbes Gespe Bigorre
Tarbes Gespe Bigorre (often called Tarbes GB or TGB) is a French women's basketball club, taking part to the professional French league for women, the LFB, and to European Cups (now EuroLeague Women).
It is the most important club sport in the t ...
* 1997-1998: W Bordeaux Basket
* 1998-2000: Lachen Ramat Hasharon
* 2000-2001: Elitzur Cellcom Holon
* 2004-2005: Trentino Rovereto Basket
* 2005-2007: MiZo Pécs
* 2007-2008: Galatasaray
Galatasaray Spor Kulübü (, ''Galatasaray Sports Club'') is a Turkish sports club based on the European side of the city of Istanbul in Turkey. Most notable for its association football department, the club also consists of various other de ...
References
External links
WNBA player profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Vickie
1972 births
Living people
All-American college women's basketball players
American expatriate basketball people in France
American expatriate basketball people in Hungary
American expatriate basketball people in Israel
American expatriate basketball people in Italy
American expatriate basketball people in Turkey
American women's basketball coaches
American women's basketball players
Basketball coaches from Louisiana
Basketball players from Louisiana
Dallas Wings coaches
Galatasaray S.K. (women's basketball) players
Las Vegas Aces coaches
Louisiana Tech Lady Techsters basketball players
New York Liberty draft picks
New York Liberty players
Parade High School All-Americans (girls' basketball)
People from Coushatta, Louisiana
San Antonio Stars coaches
San Antonio Stars players
Shooting guards
Tarbes Gespe Bigorre players
Women's National Basketball Association All-Stars