Marques Johnson
Encyclopedia
Marques Kevin Johnson is a retired American professional basketball
player in the NBA
, playing for the Milwaukee Bucks
(1977-84), Los Angeles Clippers
(1984-87), and Golden State Warriors
(1989-90).
Johnson was born in Nachitoches, Louisiana
and raised in south Los Angeles
, where he attended and graduated from Crenshaw High School
, a school well-known for its athletics, especially in basketball. He later attended UCLA, and became a star player on its basketball teams, under the guidance of legendary coach John Wooden
. In his sophomore year in college (1974-75), Johnson helped to lead the Bruins to what was Coach Wooden's 10th and final NCAA Men's Division I basketball championship
. Wooden retired from coaching the following season, and Gene Bartow
became the UCLA men's basketball head coach, and Johnson continued to excel, including averaging 21.1 points and 11.1 rebounds per game in his senior season (1976-77), and went on to win the first John R. Wooden Award
and USBWA College Player of the Year as the nation's collegiate basketball player of the year. Johnson also majored in Theater Arts at UCLA.
In 1977, Johnson was selected 3rd overall in the 1977 NBA Draft
by the Milwaukee Bucks, who were coached by Don Nelson
, who also served as the team's general manager. Considered one of the best small forward
s in the NBA, Johnson helped to lead Milwaukee to several division titles (1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984), and in his second season (1978-79), he was the NBA's third leading scorer (25.6 PPG), just behind George Gervin
(29.6 PPG) and Lloyd Free
(28.8 PPG).Johnson coined the term "Point Forward", a position he played out of necessity in 1983. One by one, the Bucks' point guards got hurt and couldn't play in the playoffs. Don Nelson instructed Johnson to set up the offense from his forward position. Johnson remarked," so instead of a point guard, I am a point forward". However, during his time in Milwaukee (the Bucks moved into the Eastern Conference
in the 1980-81 season
), his Bucks teams would never make the NBA finals, getting as far as the Eastern Conference Finals twice, in 1983 and again in 1984. At one time in the 80's Johnson was considered the best Forward in the NBA by coaches and peers.
In the 1984 offseason, a bold move was made by Nelson, the Bucks traded Johnson, forward-guard Junior Bridgeman
, and forward Harvey Catchings
and cash to the newly-relocated Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for forward Terry Cummings
, and guards Craig Hodges
and Ricky Pierce
. This was a homecoming for Johnson, as he grew up and attended high school just a few miles from the Clippers' then-new home, the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena
.
As Marques Johnson was accustomed to winning in high school, college, and with the Bucks, his return back to Los Angeles wasn't as glorious, as the Clippers struggled to win, and during a game in the 1986-87 season, Johnson suffered a neck injury, which effectively ended his career. Johnson made a brief comeback during the 1989-90 season, playing only 10 games with the Warriors before retiring for good on December 27, 1989.
As his playing career ended, Johnson got into the entertainment business, as he acted in small roles in many films, including White Men Can't Jump
, Love and Action in Chicago, Blue Chips
, and Forget Paris
. For a while, Johnson served a color commentator for the Seattle SuperSonics
in the late 1990s and is regularly seen nationally on Fox Sports Net
as a basketball analyst. Johnson is still actively enhancing his creative roots, writing screenplays and short stories. He has five sons, Kris, Josiah, Joshua, Moriah and Cyrus. The eldest Kris is a studio analyst for Foxsports.com
and Fox Sports Net. Kris followed his fathers footsteps and attended UCLA on a basketball scholarship. He was a member of the 1995 National Championship team that beat Arkansas in the Final. Kris finished his UCLA career as the 25th leading scorer in UCLA history, the only father and son in NCAA history to accomplish that feat(major colleges). Kris went on to play professionally in the CBA and internationally, and retired from the playing in 2005. Marques and Kris Johnson remain the only father and son in the history of collegiate basketball, to win a national championship at the same school. Moriah is a star on the BET's Baldwin Hills.
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 NBA
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...
, playing for 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....
(1977-84), Los Angeles Clippers
Los Angeles Clippers
The Los Angeles Clippers are a professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California, United States. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association...
(1984-87), and Golden State Warriors
Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in Oakland, California. They are part of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
(1989-90).
Johnson was born in Nachitoches, Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
and raised in south Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, where he attended and graduated from Crenshaw High School
Crenshaw High School
Crenshaw High School is a secondary school located in South Los Angeles, California.The school first opened in 1968 and currently enrolls an average of 2,600 students. Its address is 5010 11th Avenue, near the corner of 50th Street. The school colors are blue and gold, and its mascot is the...
, a school well-known for its athletics, especially in basketball. He later attended UCLA, and became a star player on its basketball teams, under the guidance of legendary coach John Wooden
John Wooden
John Robert Wooden was an American basketball player and coach. Nicknamed the "Wizard of Westwood", he won ten NCAA national championships in a 12-year period — seven in a row — as head coach at UCLA, an unprecedented feat. Within this period, his teams won a record 88 consecutive games...
. In his sophomore year in college (1974-75), Johnson helped to lead the Bruins to what was Coach Wooden's 10th and final NCAA Men's Division I basketball championship
1975 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 1975 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 32 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 15, 1975, and ended with the championship game on March 31 in San Diego, California...
. Wooden retired from coaching the following season, and Gene Bartow
Gene Bartow
Gene Bartow is a former men's college basketball coach. The Browning, Missouri, native coached 36 years at six universities after coaching two high schools in Missouri for six years.-High school:...
became the UCLA men's basketball head coach, and Johnson continued to excel, including averaging 21.1 points and 11.1 rebounds per game in his senior season (1976-77), and went on to win the first John R. Wooden Award
John R. Wooden Award
The John R. Wooden Award is an award given annually to the most outstanding men's and women's college basketball players. The program consists of the men's and women's Player of the Year awards, the Legends of Coaching award and recognizes the All–America Teams.The awards, given by the Los...
and USBWA College Player of the Year as the nation's collegiate basketball player of the year. Johnson also majored in Theater Arts at UCLA.
In 1977, Johnson was selected 3rd overall in the 1977 NBA Draft
1977 NBA Draft
The 1977 NBA Draft was the 31st annual draft of the National Basketball Association . The draft was held on June 10, 1977 before the 1977–78 season. In this draft, 22 NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players and other eligible players, including international players...
by the Milwaukee Bucks, who were coached by Don Nelson
Don Nelson
Donald Arvid "Don" Nelson is a former NBA player and head coach. He coached the Milwaukee Bucks, the New York Knicks, the Dallas Mavericks, and the Golden State Warriors....
, who also served as the team's general manager. Considered one of the best small forward
Small forward
The small forward, or colloquially known as three, is one of the five positions in a regulation basketball game. Small forwards are typically somewhat shorter, quicker, and leaner than power forwards and centers, but on occasion are just as tall...
s in the NBA, Johnson helped to lead Milwaukee to several division titles (1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984), and in his second season (1978-79), he was the NBA's third leading scorer (25.6 PPG), just behind George Gervin
George Gervin
George "The Iceman" Gervin is a retired American professional basketball player who played in both the American Basketball Association and National Basketball Association for the Virginia Squires, San Antonio Spurs, and Chicago Bulls...
(29.6 PPG) and Lloyd Free
World B. Free
World B. Free is an American former professional basketball player who played in the NBA from 1975–1988. Free was known as the "Prince of Midair" as well as "All-World".-Early years:...
(28.8 PPG).Johnson coined the term "Point Forward", a position he played out of necessity in 1983. One by one, the Bucks' point guards got hurt and couldn't play in the playoffs. Don Nelson instructed Johnson to set up the offense from his forward position. Johnson remarked," so instead of a point guard, I am a point forward". However, during his time in Milwaukee (the Bucks moved into the Eastern Conference
Eastern Conference (NBA)
The Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association is made up of fifteen teams, organized in three divisions of five teams each.The three division winners and the non-division winner with the best record are seeded 1 through 4 for the playoffs in order of their records, with all...
in the 1980-81 season
1980-81 NBA season
-Statistics leaders:-NBA awards:*Most Valuable Player: Julius Erving, Philadelphia 76ers*Rookie of the Year: Darrell Griffith, Utah Jazz*Coach of the Year: Jack McKinney, Indiana Pacers*All-NBA First Team:**Larry Bird, Boston Celtics...
), his Bucks teams would never make the NBA finals, getting as far as the Eastern Conference Finals twice, in 1983 and again in 1984. At one time in the 80's Johnson was considered the best Forward in the NBA by coaches and peers.
In the 1984 offseason, a bold move was made by Nelson, the Bucks traded Johnson, forward-guard Junior Bridgeman
Junior Bridgeman
Ulysses Lee "Junior" Bridgeman is a retired American basketball player.Born in East Chicago, Indiana, Bridgeman was a member of the 1971 East Chicago Washington High School Senators basketball team, which went undefeated and won the Indiana state high school basketball championship...
, and forward Harvey Catchings
Harvey Catchings
Harvey Lee Catchings is an American former professional basketball player in the NBA.He played for the Philadelphia 76ers, New Jersey Nets, and Milwaukee Bucks, and finished his career with the Los Angeles Clippers in 1985...
and cash to the newly-relocated Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for forward Terry Cummings
Terry Cummings
Robert Terrell "Terry" Cummings is a retired American professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association for 18 seasons as a power forward and occasional center.-College and NBA years:...
, and guards Craig Hodges
Craig Hodges
Craig Anthony Hodges is a retired American professional basketball player who played in the NBA for 10 seasons and led the league in 3-point shooting percentage three times...
and Ricky Pierce
Ricky Pierce
Ricky Charles Pierce is a retired American National Basketball Association player.-Playing career:...
. This was a homecoming for Johnson, as he grew up and attended high school just a few miles from the Clippers' then-new home, the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena
Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena
The Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena is a multi-purpose arena, in the University Park neighborhood, of Los Angeles, California, at Exposition Park. It is located next to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, just south of the campus of the University of Southern California.-History:The Los Angeles...
.
As Marques Johnson was accustomed to winning in high school, college, and with the Bucks, his return back to Los Angeles wasn't as glorious, as the Clippers struggled to win, and during a game in the 1986-87 season, Johnson suffered a neck injury, which effectively ended his career. Johnson made a brief comeback during the 1989-90 season, playing only 10 games with the Warriors before retiring for good on December 27, 1989.
As his playing career ended, Johnson got into the entertainment business, as he acted in small roles in many films, including White Men Can't Jump
White Men Can't Jump
White Men Can't Jump is a 1992 American sports comedy drama film starring Woody Harrelson and Wesley Snipes as streetball hustlers, co-starring Rosie Perez...
, Love and Action in Chicago, Blue Chips
Blue Chips
Blue Chips is a 1994 drama film about basketball, directed by William Friedkin, written by Ron Shelton and starring Nick Nolte as a college coach and real-life basketball stars Shaquille O'Neal and Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway as talented finds....
, and Forget Paris
Forget Paris
Forget Paris is a 1995 film produced, directed, co-written by and starring Billy Crystal as an NBA referee and Debra Winger as an independent working woman whose lives are interrupted by love and marriage....
. For a while, Johnson served a color commentator for the Seattle SuperSonics
Seattle SuperSonics
The Seattle SuperSonics were an American professional basketball team based in Seattle, Washington that played in the Pacific and Northwest Divisions of the National Basketball Association from 1967 until 2008. Following the 2007–08 season, the team relocated to Oklahoma City, and now plays as...
in the late 1990s and is regularly seen nationally on Fox Sports Net
Fox Sports Net
The Fox Sports Regional Networks, or simply Fox Sports Net , are a collection of cable TV regional sports networks in the United States owned and operated by News Corporation.- Beginnings :...
as a basketball analyst. Johnson is still actively enhancing his creative roots, writing screenplays and short stories. He has five sons, Kris, Josiah, Joshua, Moriah and Cyrus. The eldest Kris is a studio analyst for Foxsports.com
Foxsports.com
Foxsports.com provides sports news, scores, sports statistics, sports and entertainment video, sports fantasy leagues and fantasy information. Launched in July 2001, it is a unit of Fox Interactive Media, which also includes other News Corporation online businesses, including MySpace, IGN...
and Fox Sports Net. Kris followed his fathers footsteps and attended UCLA on a basketball scholarship. He was a member of the 1995 National Championship team that beat Arkansas in the Final. Kris finished his UCLA career as the 25th leading scorer in UCLA history, the only father and son in NCAA history to accomplish that feat(major colleges). Kris went on to play professionally in the CBA and internationally, and retired from the playing in 2005. Marques and Kris Johnson remain the only father and son in the history of collegiate basketball, to win a national championship at the same school. Moriah is a star on the BET's Baldwin Hills.
External links
- 1977 Oscar Robertson Trophy USBWA College Player of the Year
- NBA stats @ basketball-reference.com