Gus Johnson (basketball)
Encyclopedia
Gus Johnson was a professional basketball
player in the National Basketball Association
(NBA). He spent nine seasons with the Baltimore Bullets
, and a final season split between the Phoenix Suns
and the Indiana Pacers
of the ABA
. One of the first forwards to frequently play above the rim, this 6' 6", 235-pounder combined an unusual blend of strength, jumping ability, and speed; he was one of the first dunk shot artists in the NBA. His nickname "Honeycomb" was given to him by his college coach, and he had a gold star drilled into one of his front teeth and shattered three backboards
during his career.
As a member of the Baltimore Bullets, Johnson was voted to the All-Rookie Team for 1963-64. He played in five NBA All-Star Games
, was named to four All-NBA Second Teams, and was twice named to the All-NBA Defense First Team. His No. 25 jersey was retired by the Bullets
franchise. With the Pacers, he was a member of the 1973 ABA championship
team.
Johnson was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010.
, where he was an All-State high school
player, and did reasonably-well in the classroom, too. Among his teammates was Nate Thurmond
, a future Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame center. Despite Johnson's clears talent and athletic ability, he had just a few college athletic scholarship
offers, which was fairly common for black high school athletes in the late 1950s.
Johnson decided to head west for college, to the Northwest
, first for a year at Boise Junior College
in 1961-62, and then for a season at the University of Idaho
in Moscow
in 1962-63. As a Vandal
, Johnson became known as "Honeycomb," a nickname head coach Joe Cipriano
gave him because of his sweet play.
Johnson averaged 19.0 points and 20.3 rebounds per game during the 1962-63 basketball season, leading Idaho to a 20-6 record. Johnson and the Vandals were at their best in their main rivalries, 4-0 versus Oregon
, 4-1 versus Washington State
, and 1-1 against Washington. Idaho's primary nemesis was Seattle University, led by guard Eddie Miles
, who won all three of its games with the Vandals. Idaho lost its only game with Oregon State
.
Johnson and the Creighton
center Paul Silas
waged a season-long battle to lead the NCAA
in rebounding. Silas claimed this by averaging 20.6 per game, 0.3 per game more than Johnson's average. Johnson also set the UI record with 31 rebounds in a game against Oregon
.
team photo of 1962-63 Idaho Vandals - Gus Johnson #43
player. He was selected tenth overall in the 1963 NBA Draft
, taken in the second round by the Chicago Zephyrs
, who were in the process of moving to Baltimore and became the Bullets
for the 1963-64 season. Johnson was an immediate starter and averaged 17.3 points and 13.6 rebounds per game. Johnson finished as the runner-up for the Rookie of the Year honors to the winner Jerry Lucas
of the Cincinnati Royals, and Lucas went on to have an NBA career that with the Royals and the Knicks that lead him to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Lucas and Johnson had faced off against each other during high school in Ohio
, and when the NBA All-Rookie Team
was selected, Jerry Lucas, Gus Johnson, and his former high-school teammate Nate Thurmond were the top three stars of the team.
During their college years, Johnson and Thurmond had been overshadowed by Lucas, who drew recognition from the press as a star with the national champion Ohio State
and the U.S. Olympic
basketball team (1964). However, being considered just second-best in comparison with Lucas during college was a powerful motivating factor for Johnson when they both moved on to the NBA.
Johnson was both an outstanding inside scorer and an exciting open-court player for the Bullets, from the start. During his early years with the Bullets, an expansion team, regularly finished in last place not only in the Eastern Division, but in the entire NBA. However, with good first and second-round draft choices every year, the Bullets gradually grew to be a better team, adding these players - who all made the NBA All-Rookie Team: Johnson, Rod Thorn, Wali Jones
, Jack Marin
, Earl Monroe
, and finally, the keystone of a championship team, Wes Unseld
, who became both the Rookie-of-the-Year and the NBA Most Valuable Player for 1968-69. Gus Johnson was also a key player for the Bullets, who won the NBA Eastern Division for their very first time in 1969.
Johnson was among the most effective two-way players of his time. His scoring moves around the basket were comparable to those of his peers Elgin Baylor
and Connie Hawkins
. Yet however effective as Johnson was a post-up player, with his medium-range jump shot
, and on the fast break, he was even more effective as a very sticky defender and a rugged rebounder throughout his time in the NBA. Indeed, he was one of the select few players who was quick enough to be paired against backcourt great Oscar Robertson
, yet strong enough to hold his own against the taller forwards of the NBA in the front line.
Despite some nagging problems with his knees, Johnson was a member of the NBA All-Star Team five times. During his NBA career, Johnson averaged 17.1 points and 12.7 rebounds per game. He also scored 25 points in 25 minutes in the 1965 NBA All-Star Game
.
Gus Johnson had his best years with the Bullets in 1968-71, including the watershed basketball year of 1968-69. While the Bullets improved year-by-year, Johnson started receiving more recognition from the press and the spectators for his outstanding play at forward. He was voted onto the All-NBA second-team during this time span. During the 1968-69 season, the Bullets achieved their best regular-season record, but were quickly swept out of the playoffs by the Knicks, largely because Johnson was sidelined during the playoff series with an injury.
After fading to third place in the Eastern Division in 1969-70, Johnson and the Bullets upset the regular-season champion New York Knicks
four games to three in the 1971 playoffs, and advanced to the NBA Finals
. But injuries had decimated the team, and the Bullets were swept in four straight by the Milwaukee Bucks
, led by
Lew Alcindor
, Oscar Robertson
, and Bobby Dandridge.
Injuries kept Johnson on the bench for most of 1971-72, his last with the team. The next season, the Bullets traded for Elvin Hayes
and drafted Kevin Porter, making Johnson expendable. Johnson was traded to the Phoenix Suns
following the season in April, but played in only 21 games before being released on December 1, 1972. The Indiana Pacers
, then of the ABA
, picked him up and he became a steadying veteran influence on the team, which went on to win the 1973 ABA championship.
Injuries limited Johnson's pro basketball career to 10 seasons, and this no doubt prevented post-career honors such as inclusion on the NBA 50 Greatest Players Ever list, and a delayed induction into the Hall of Fame. His induction in 2010 came 37 years after his final game and 23 years following his death.
Shortly before his death from inoperable brain cancer, he was honored by the two college programs he played for, Boise State
and Idaho
, during a conference basketball game between the two teams on January 17, 1987. A sellout of 12,000 or more spectators at the BSU Pavilion
in Boise
set a Big Sky
attendance record for a regular season game. Johnson died less than four months later at Akron
City Hospital on April 29, 1987, at the age of 48.
Earl Monroe
on Gus Johnson - "Gus was ahead of his time, flying through the air for slam dunks, breaking backboards and throwing full-court passes behind his back. He was spectacular, but he also did the nitty gritty jobs, defense and rebounding. With all the guys in the Hall of Game, Gus deserves to be there already."
"I first saw Gus on television...I had never seen a player dominate a game so. Gus was the Dr. J
of his time and anyone that ever had the privilege to see him play will never forget what a great basketball player Gus Johson was." - Abe Pollin
- Former Owner of the Washington Bullets/Wizards Franchise
in 1962-63, he earned a reputation as a leaper of the highest order. On one evening at the "Corner Club", a tavern on north Main Street in Moscow
, Johnson was challenged by its owner, Herm Goetz (1925-93), to demonstrate his outstanding jumping ability to the assembled patrons. The "Corner Club" was a modest establishment, converted from a small white stucco
chapel built in the 1940s, with hardwood floors
and substantial beams
on its ceiling.
From a standing start near the front bar, Johnson leapt to touch a spot on a beam 11' 6" (3.51 m) above the floor level. The spot on the beam was marked with a ceremonial nail by Goetz, who next proclaimed that anyone who could duplicate that leap could drink for free, something that he knew was highly improbable. A 40-inch (1 m) diameter circle was painted on the floor below that beam, and any potential duplicator of the leap had to have both feet on the floor, within this circle, to ensure a standing start. Twenty-three years elapsed, with a considerable number attempts to touch Gus Johnson's Nail, including some by the 6' 11" UCLA All-American Bill Walton
during the summer of 1984. But not even Walton, then a pro at age 31, could touch that high up ("...too much pizza and beer tonight..").
That was until January 1986, when the team bus of College of Southern Idaho
, a junior college in Twin Falls
, stopped in Moscow, en route to a game against North Idaho College
in Coeur d'Alene. Joey Johnson, the younger brother of the NBA star Dennis Johnson
, was brought into the closed bar by his coaches for a try, before opening time. The 6' 3" (1.90 m) guard had already recorded a remarkable 48" (1.22 m) vertical leap during basketball practice.
Joey Johnson laced up his game shoes and touched "The Nail" on his first try, but this attempt was disqualified because he did not start with both feet inside the given circle. His next attempt came from a legal static start, but was slightly short. On his third try, Johnson leaped, grabbed, and bent the legendary nail, a landmark event in local sports history. Mr. Goetz next pulled "The Nail" out of its beam, and he pounded it back in, a half inch (1 cm) higher.
Due to road reconstruction on north Main Street (the straightening of the couplet for US-95
north), the entire front (west) portion of the Corner Club was demolished in January 1991. Unfortunately, the condemned portion of the establishment included the original location of "The Nail." The back (east) addition, built in 1981, was left standing. In 2005, it was listed by Sports Illustrated
as one of the best sports bars in the nation.
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player in the National Basketball Association
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
(NBA). He spent nine seasons with the Baltimore Bullets
Washington Wizards
The Washington Wizards are a professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C., previously known as Washington Bullets. They play in the National Basketball Association .-Early years:...
, and a final season split between the Phoenix Suns
Phoenix Suns
The Phoenix Suns are a professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association and the only team in their division not to be based in California. Their home arena since 1992 has been the US...
and the Indiana Pacers
Indiana Pacers
The Indiana Pacers are a professional basketball team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They are members of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association...
of the ABA
American Basketball Association
The American Basketball Association was a professional basketball league founded in 1967. The ABA ceased to exist with the ABA–NBA merger in 1976.-League history:...
. One of the first forwards to frequently play above the rim, this 6' 6", 235-pounder combined an unusual blend of strength, jumping ability, and speed; he was one of the first dunk shot artists in the NBA. His nickname "Honeycomb" was given to him by his college coach, and he had a gold star drilled into one of his front teeth and shattered three backboards
Backboard shattering
A backboard shattering is an accident or stunt in basketball. It occurs when a player slam dunks the ball hard enough to break the fiberglass of the backboard. The stunt has caused games to be canceled or delayed, serious injuries to occur and expensive costs of clean up and replacement...
during his career.
As a member of the Baltimore Bullets, Johnson was voted to the All-Rookie Team for 1963-64. He played in five NBA All-Star Games
National Basketball Association All-Star Game
The National Basketball Association staged its first All-Star Game in the Boston Garden on March 2, 1951. From that year on, the game has matched the best players in the Eastern Conference with the best players in the Western Conference....
, was named to four All-NBA Second Teams, and was twice named to the All-NBA Defense First Team. His No. 25 jersey was retired by the Bullets
Washington Wizards
The Washington Wizards are a professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C., previously known as Washington Bullets. They play in the National Basketball Association .-Early years:...
franchise. With the Pacers, he was a member of the 1973 ABA championship
1973 ABA Playoffs
The 1973 ABA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the American Basketball Association's 1972-1973 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Division champion Indiana Pacers defeating the Eastern Division champion Kentucky Colonels, four games to three in the ABA Finals.-Notable...
team.
Johnson was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010.
High school and college basketball
Johnson attended Central High School in Akron, OhioAkron, Ohio
Akron , is the fifth largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Summit County. It is located in the Great Lakes region approximately south of Lake Erie along the Little Cuyahoga River. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 199,110. The Akron Metropolitan...
, where he was an All-State high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
player, and did reasonably-well in the classroom, too. Among his teammates was Nate Thurmond
Nate Thurmond
Nathaniel "Nate" Thurmond is a retired American basketball player. Dominant at both center and power forward, he was a seven-time All-Star and the first player in NBA history to record a quadruple-double....
, a future Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame center. Despite Johnson's clears talent and athletic ability, he had just a few college athletic scholarship
Athletic scholarship
An athletic scholarship is a form of scholarship to attend a college or university awarded to an individual based predominantly on his or her ability to play in a sport...
offers, which was fairly common for black high school athletes in the late 1950s.
Johnson decided to head west for college, to the Northwest
Pacific Northwest
The Pacific Northwest is a region in northwestern North America, bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains on the east. Definitions of the region vary and there is no commonly agreed upon boundary, even among Pacific Northwesterners. A common concept of the...
, first for a year at Boise Junior College
Boise State University
Boise State University is a public university located in Boise, Idaho. Originally founded in 1932 as a junior college by the Episcopal Church, the university became an independent institution in 1934, and has been awarding baccalaureate and master degrees since 1965...
in 1961-62, and then for a season at the University of Idaho
Idaho Vandals
The Idaho Vandals are the intercollegiate athletic teams of the University of Idaho. They participate in NCAA Division I - FBS in the Western Athletic Conference ....
in Moscow
Moscow, Idaho
Moscow is a city in northern Idaho, situated along the Washington/Idaho border. It is the most populous city and county seat of Latah County and the home of the University of Idaho, the land grant institution and primary research university for the state...
in 1962-63. As a Vandal
Idaho Vandals
The Idaho Vandals are the intercollegiate athletic teams of the University of Idaho. They participate in NCAA Division I - FBS in the Western Athletic Conference ....
, Johnson became known as "Honeycomb," a nickname head coach Joe Cipriano
Joe Cipriano (basketball coach)
Joe Cipriano was an American college basketball player and coach. He played in college under coach Tippy Dye at Washington, and he played in the 1953 Final Four in Kansas City, Missouri....
gave him because of his sweet play.
Johnson averaged 19.0 points and 20.3 rebounds per game during the 1962-63 basketball season, leading Idaho to a 20-6 record. Johnson and the Vandals were at their best in their main rivalries, 4-0 versus Oregon
Oregon Ducks men's basketball
Oregon Ducks men’s college basketball is an intercollegiate basketball program that competes in the NCAA Division I and is a member of the Pac-12 Conference, representing the University of Oregon. The Ducks play their home games at Matthew Knight Arena. Oregon, then coached by Howard Hobson, won...
, 4-1 versus Washington State
Washington State Cougars men's basketball
The Washington State Cougars Men's Basketball team represents Washington State University and competes in the Pacific-12 Conference of NCAA Division I...
, and 1-1 against Washington. Idaho's primary nemesis was Seattle University, led by guard Eddie Miles
Eddie Miles
Edward Miles, Jr. is a retired American basketball player.A 6'4" guard from Scipio A. Jones High School in Arkansas, Miles was nicknamed "The Man with the Golden Arm" because of his shooting prowess...
, who won all three of its games with the Vandals. Idaho lost its only game with Oregon State
Oregon State Beavers men's basketball
The Oregon State Beavers men's basketball program, established in 1901, is the intercollegiate men's basketball program of the Oregon State University Beavers. The program is classified in the NCAA's Division I, and the team competes in the Pacific-12 Conference. The team is coached by Craig...
.
Johnson and the Creighton
Creighton University
Creighton University is a private, coeducational, Jesuit, Roman Catholic university located in Omaha, Nebraska, United States. Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1878, the school is one of 28 member institutions of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities. The university is accredited by...
center Paul Silas
Paul Silas
Paul Theron Silas is a retired American professional basketball player and current head coach of the Charlotte Bobcats. He attended Creighton University, where he set an NCAA record for the most rebounds in three seasons and averaged 20.6 rebounds per game in 1963...
waged a season-long battle to lead the NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
in rebounding. Silas claimed this by averaging 20.6 per game, 0.3 per game more than Johnson's average. Johnson also set the UI record with 31 rebounds in a game against Oregon
Oregon Ducks men's basketball
Oregon Ducks men’s college basketball is an intercollegiate basketball program that competes in the NCAA Division I and is a member of the Pac-12 Conference, representing the University of Oregon. The Ducks play their home games at Matthew Knight Arena. Oregon, then coached by Howard Hobson, won...
.
team photo of 1962-63 Idaho Vandals - Gus Johnson #43
Professional career
At the age of 24, Johnson got a somewhat late start as an NBANational Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
player. He was selected tenth overall in the 1963 NBA Draft
1963 NBA Draft
The 1963 NBA Draft was the 17th annual draft of the National Basketball Association . The draft was held on April 30, 1963 before the 1963–64 season. In this draft, nine NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players. A player who had finished his four-year college...
, taken in the second round by the Chicago Zephyrs
Washington Wizards
The Washington Wizards are a professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C., previously known as Washington Bullets. They play in the National Basketball Association .-Early years:...
, who were in the process of moving to Baltimore and became the Bullets
Washington Wizards
The Washington Wizards are a professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C., previously known as Washington Bullets. They play in the National Basketball Association .-Early years:...
for the 1963-64 season. Johnson was an immediate starter and averaged 17.3 points and 13.6 rebounds per game. Johnson finished as the runner-up for the Rookie of the Year honors to the winner Jerry Lucas
Jerry Lucas
Jerry Ray Lucas was a basketball player from the 1950s to the 1970s, and is now a memory education expert. In 1996, the NBA's 50th anniversary, he was named one of the 50 greatest players in National Basketball Association history...
of the Cincinnati Royals, and Lucas went on to have an NBA career that with the Royals and the Knicks that lead him to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Lucas and Johnson had faced off against each other during high school in Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, and when the NBA All-Rookie Team
NBA All-Rookie Team
The NBA All-Rookie Team is an annual National Basketball Association honor given since the 1962–63 NBA season to the top rookies during the regular season. Voting is conducted by the NBA head coaches; who are not allowed to vote for players on their own team. The All-Rookie Team is generally...
was selected, Jerry Lucas, Gus Johnson, and his former high-school teammate Nate Thurmond were the top three stars of the team.
During their college years, Johnson and Thurmond had been overshadowed by Lucas, who drew recognition from the press as a star with the national champion Ohio State
Ohio State Buckeyes men's basketball
The Lucas Sapp men's basketball team represents The Ohio State University in NCAA Division I college basketball competition. The Buckeyes are a member of the Big Ten Conference. The Buckeyes won their only National Championship in 1960 and have made a total of 21 NCAA Tournament appearances...
and the U.S. Olympic
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
basketball team (1964). However, being considered just second-best in comparison with Lucas during college was a powerful motivating factor for Johnson when they both moved on to the NBA.
Johnson was both an outstanding inside scorer and an exciting open-court player for the Bullets, from the start. During his early years with the Bullets, an expansion team, regularly finished in last place not only in the Eastern Division, but in the entire NBA. However, with good first and second-round draft choices every year, the Bullets gradually grew to be a better team, adding these players - who all made the NBA All-Rookie Team: Johnson, Rod Thorn, Wali Jones
Wali Jones
Walter "Wali" Jones is a retired American professional basketball player. He was a 6'2" 180 lb guard....
, Jack Marin
Jack Marin
John Warren "Jack" Marin is a retired American professional basketball player. A 201 cm guard/forward from Duke University, Marin was named to the 1967 NBA All-Rookie Team and spent 11 seasons in the NBA , playing for the Baltimore Bullets, Houston Rockets, Buffalo Braves and Chicago Bulls...
, Earl Monroe
Earl Monroe
Vernon Earl Monroe is an American former professional basketball player known for his flamboyant dribbling, passing, and play-making. His nicknames is "Earl the Pearl".-Early years:...
, and finally, the keystone of a championship team, Wes Unseld
Wes Unseld
Westley Sissel "Wes" Unseld is an American former basketball player. He spent his entire NBA career with the Baltimore/Capital/Washington Bullets, and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1988.-Early life and college career:Unseld starred on a Seneca High School team...
, who became both the Rookie-of-the-Year and the NBA Most Valuable Player for 1968-69. Gus Johnson was also a key player for the Bullets, who won the NBA Eastern Division for their very first time in 1969.
Johnson was among the most effective two-way players of his time. His scoring moves around the basket were comparable to those of his peers Elgin Baylor
Elgin Baylor
Elgin Gay Baylor is a retired Hall of Fame American basketball player and former NBA general manager who played 13 seasons as a forward for the NBA's Minneapolis Lakers/Los Angeles Lakers....
and Connie Hawkins
Connie Hawkins
Cornelius L. Hawkins is a former National Basketball Association and American Basketball Association player, Harlem Globetrotter and New York City playground legend...
. Yet however effective as Johnson was a post-up player, with his medium-range jump shot
Jump shot
In basketball , a jump shot is an attempt to score a basket by jumping, usually straight up, and in mid-jump, propelling the ball in an arc into the basket. It is accomplished by the player bringing his or her elbow up until it is aligned with the hoop, then sent towards the hoop in a high arc. It...
, and on the fast break, he was even more effective as a very sticky defender and a rugged rebounder throughout his time in the NBA. Indeed, he was one of the select few players who was quick enough to be paired against backcourt great Oscar Robertson
Oscar Robertson
Oscar Palmer Robertson , nicknamed "The Big O", is a former American NBA player with the Cincinnati Royals and the Milwaukee Bucks...
, yet strong enough to hold his own against the taller forwards of the NBA in the front line.
Despite some nagging problems with his knees, Johnson was a member of the NBA All-Star Team five times. During his NBA career, Johnson averaged 17.1 points and 12.7 rebounds per game. He also scored 25 points in 25 minutes in the 1965 NBA All-Star Game
1965 NBA All-Star Game
GAME 15: at St. Louis, Jan. 13, 1965MVP: Jerry LucasCoaches: East: Red Auerbach, West: Alex Hannum.-Western Conference: -Eastern Conference: -Score by Periods: *Halftime— East, 75-61*Third Quarter— East, 107-91*Officials: Mendy Rudolph and Joe Gushue...
.
Gus Johnson had his best years with the Bullets in 1968-71, including the watershed basketball year of 1968-69. While the Bullets improved year-by-year, Johnson started receiving more recognition from the press and the spectators for his outstanding play at forward. He was voted onto the All-NBA second-team during this time span. During the 1968-69 season, the Bullets achieved their best regular-season record, but were quickly swept out of the playoffs by the Knicks, largely because Johnson was sidelined during the playoff series with an injury.
After fading to third place in the Eastern Division in 1969-70, Johnson and the Bullets upset the regular-season champion New York Knicks
New York Knicks
The New York Knickerbockers, prominently known as the Knicks, are a professional basketball team based in New York City. They are part of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...
four games to three in the 1971 playoffs, and advanced to the NBA Finals
NBA Finals
The NBA Finals is the championship series of the National Basketball Association . The series was named the NBA World Championship Series until 1986....
. But injuries had decimated the team, and the Bullets were swept in four straight by the Milwaukee Bucks
Milwaukee Bucks
The Milwaukee Bucks are a professional basketball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. They are part of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1968 as an expansion team, and currently plays at the Bradley Center....
, led by
Lew Alcindor
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is a retired American professional basketball player. He is the NBA's all-time leading scorer, with 38,387 points. During his career with the NBA's Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers from 1969 to 1989, Abdul-Jabbar won six NBA championships and a record six regular season...
, Oscar Robertson
Oscar Robertson
Oscar Palmer Robertson , nicknamed "The Big O", is a former American NBA player with the Cincinnati Royals and the Milwaukee Bucks...
, and Bobby Dandridge.
Injuries kept Johnson on the bench for most of 1971-72, his last with the team. The next season, the Bullets traded for Elvin Hayes
Elvin Hayes
Elvin Ernest Hayes is a retired American basketball player and radio analyst for Houston Cougars men's basketball, where he played college basketball...
and drafted Kevin Porter, making Johnson expendable. Johnson was traded to the Phoenix Suns
Phoenix Suns
The Phoenix Suns are a professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association and the only team in their division not to be based in California. Their home arena since 1992 has been the US...
following the season in April, but played in only 21 games before being released on December 1, 1972. The Indiana Pacers
Indiana Pacers
The Indiana Pacers are a professional basketball team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They are members of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association...
, then of the ABA
American Basketball Association
The American Basketball Association was a professional basketball league founded in 1967. The ABA ceased to exist with the ABA–NBA merger in 1976.-League history:...
, picked him up and he became a steadying veteran influence on the team, which went on to win the 1973 ABA championship.
Injuries limited Johnson's pro basketball career to 10 seasons, and this no doubt prevented post-career honors such as inclusion on the NBA 50 Greatest Players Ever list, and a delayed induction into the Hall of Fame. His induction in 2010 came 37 years after his final game and 23 years following his death.
Shortly before his death from inoperable brain cancer, he was honored by the two college programs he played for, Boise State
Boise State Broncos
The Boise State Broncos are the official athletic program of Boise State University. The Broncos compete in a wide variety of sports. Perhaps the most well-known of these sports is the football program. The program attained a 13-0 season in 2006 capped by a memorable overtime win in the 2007 Fiesta...
and Idaho
Idaho Vandals
The Idaho Vandals are the intercollegiate athletic teams of the University of Idaho. They participate in NCAA Division I - FBS in the Western Athletic Conference ....
, during a conference basketball game between the two teams on January 17, 1987. A sellout of 12,000 or more spectators at the BSU Pavilion
Taco Bell Arena
The Taco Bell Arena is a multi-purpose indoor arena, on the campus of Boise State University, in Boise, Idaho. The arena is located on the east end of campus, between West Campus Lane & Cesar Chavez Circle, immediately northwest of Bronco Stadium....
in Boise
Boise, Idaho
Boise is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho, as well as the county seat of Ada County. Located on the Boise River, it anchors the Boise City-Nampa metropolitan area and is the largest city between Salt Lake City, Utah and Portland, Oregon.As of the 2010 Census Bureau,...
set a Big Sky
Big Sky Conference
The Big Sky Conference is an intercollegiate college athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division I, with football competing in the Football Championship Subdivision. The BSC was founded in 1963. Member institutions are located in the western United States in the states of Arizona,...
attendance record for a regular season game. Johnson died less than four months later at Akron
Akron, Ohio
Akron , is the fifth largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Summit County. It is located in the Great Lakes region approximately south of Lake Erie along the Little Cuyahoga River. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 199,110. The Akron Metropolitan...
City Hospital on April 29, 1987, at the age of 48.
Earl Monroe
Earl Monroe
Vernon Earl Monroe is an American former professional basketball player known for his flamboyant dribbling, passing, and play-making. His nicknames is "Earl the Pearl".-Early years:...
on Gus Johnson - "Gus was ahead of his time, flying through the air for slam dunks, breaking backboards and throwing full-court passes behind his back. He was spectacular, but he also did the nitty gritty jobs, defense and rebounding. With all the guys in the Hall of Game, Gus deserves to be there already."
"I first saw Gus on television...I had never seen a player dominate a game so. Gus was the Dr. J
Julius Erving
Julius Winfield Erving II , commonly known by the nickname Dr. J, is a retired American basketball player who helped launch a modern style of play that emphasizes leaping and play above the rim....
of his time and anyone that ever had the privilege to see him play will never forget what a great basketball player Gus Johson was." - Abe Pollin
Abe Pollin
Abe Pollin was the owner of a number of professional sports teams including the Washington Capitals in the National Hockey League , the Washington Mystics in the Women's National Basketball Association , and the Washington Wizards in the National Basketball Association...
- Former Owner of the Washington Bullets/Wizards Franchise
"The Nail"
While Gus Johnson played basketball at IdahoIdaho Vandals
The Idaho Vandals are the intercollegiate athletic teams of the University of Idaho. They participate in NCAA Division I - FBS in the Western Athletic Conference ....
in 1962-63, he earned a reputation as a leaper of the highest order. On one evening at the "Corner Club", a tavern on north Main Street in Moscow
Moscow, Idaho
Moscow is a city in northern Idaho, situated along the Washington/Idaho border. It is the most populous city and county seat of Latah County and the home of the University of Idaho, the land grant institution and primary research university for the state...
, Johnson was challenged by its owner, Herm Goetz (1925-93), to demonstrate his outstanding jumping ability to the assembled patrons. The "Corner Club" was a modest establishment, converted from a small white stucco
Stucco
Stucco or render is a material made of an aggregate, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as decorative coating for walls and ceilings and as a sculptural and artistic material in architecture...
chapel built in the 1940s, with hardwood floors
Wood flooring
Wood flooring is any product manufactured from timber that is designed for use as flooring, either structural or aesthetic. Bamboo flooring is often considered a wood floor, although it is made from a grass rather than a timber....
and substantial beams
Beam (structure)
A beam is a horizontal structural element that is capable of withstanding load primarily by resisting bending. The bending force induced into the material of the beam as a result of the external loads, own weight, span and external reactions to these loads is called a bending moment.- Overview...
on its ceiling.
From a standing start near the front bar, Johnson leapt to touch a spot on a beam 11' 6" (3.51 m) above the floor level. The spot on the beam was marked with a ceremonial nail by Goetz, who next proclaimed that anyone who could duplicate that leap could drink for free, something that he knew was highly improbable. A 40-inch (1 m) diameter circle was painted on the floor below that beam, and any potential duplicator of the leap had to have both feet on the floor, within this circle, to ensure a standing start. Twenty-three years elapsed, with a considerable number attempts to touch Gus Johnson's Nail, including some by the 6' 11" UCLA All-American Bill Walton
Bill Walton
William Theodore "Bill" Walton III is a retired American basketball player and television sportscaster. The "Big Red-Head", as he was called, achieved superstardom playing for John Wooden's powerhouse UCLA Bruins in the early '70s, winning three straight College Player of the Year Awards, while...
during the summer of 1984. But not even Walton, then a pro at age 31, could touch that high up ("...too much pizza and beer tonight..").
That was until January 1986, when the team bus of College of Southern Idaho
College of Southern Idaho
College of Southern Idaho is an American public community college. Its main campus is in Twin Falls, Idaho, with outreach programs in Boise, Hailey, Burley and Gooding....
, a junior college in Twin Falls
Twin Falls, Idaho
Twin Falls is the county seat and largest city of Twin Falls County, Idaho, United States. The population was 44,125 at the 2010 censusTwin Falls is the largest city of Idaho's Magic Valley region...
, stopped in Moscow, en route to a game against North Idaho College
North Idaho College
North Idaho College is a community college with over 6,000 students in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, situated at the north end of Lake Coeur d'Alene.-History:The school was established during the Great Depression in 1933 as Coeur d'Alene Junior College...
in Coeur d'Alene. Joey Johnson, the younger brother of the NBA star Dennis Johnson
Dennis Johnson
Dennis Wayne Johnson nicknamed "DJ", was an American professional basketball player for the National Basketball Association's Seattle SuperSonics, Phoenix Suns and Boston Celtics and coach of the Los Angeles Clippers...
, was brought into the closed bar by his coaches for a try, before opening time. The 6' 3" (1.90 m) guard had already recorded a remarkable 48" (1.22 m) vertical leap during basketball practice.
Joey Johnson laced up his game shoes and touched "The Nail" on his first try, but this attempt was disqualified because he did not start with both feet inside the given circle. His next attempt came from a legal static start, but was slightly short. On his third try, Johnson leaped, grabbed, and bent the legendary nail, a landmark event in local sports history. Mr. Goetz next pulled "The Nail" out of its beam, and he pounded it back in, a half inch (1 cm) higher.
Due to road reconstruction on north Main Street (the straightening of the couplet for US-95
U.S. Route 95 in Idaho
In the U.S. state of Idaho, U.S. Route 95 is a north–south highway near the western border of the state, stretching from Oregon to British Columbia for over .-Route description:...
north), the entire front (west) portion of the Corner Club was demolished in January 1991. Unfortunately, the condemned portion of the establishment included the original location of "The Nail." The back (east) addition, built in 1981, was left standing. In 2005, it was listed by Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
as one of the best sports bars in the nation.
External links
- TheDraftReview.com - Gus Johnson's NBA Draft History Page
- Basketball-Reference.com - Gus Johnson stats
- Database Basketball.com - stats for Gus Johnson
- "How great was Gus Johnson?" - reprinted from 1997 article at Idaho.com
- University of Idaho - Vandal Athletics Hall of Fame - Gus Johnson
- Gus Johnson 2010 HOF Induction
- You Tube.com - video - Gus Johnson Tribute