Community hub
Recent from talks
Knowledge base stats:
Talk channels stats:
Members stats:
Gus Johnson (basketball)
Gus "Honeycomb" Johnson Jr. (December 13, 1938 – April 29, 1987) was an American professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and American Basketball Association (ABA). A 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m), 235-pound (107 kg) forward who occasionally played center, Johnson spent nine seasons with the Baltimore Bullets before he split his final campaign between the Phoenix Suns and Indiana Pacers, where he won the ABA championship in his final game. Johnson did not come into the NBA until he was almost 25-years old. He was a five-time NBA All-Star by age 33, before chronic knee issues took their toll late in his career.
Johnson shattered three backboards on dunk attempts in his career, tearing down his first basket in 1964 against the Hawks at Kiel Auditorium in St. Louis. He last shattered a backboard against the Milwaukee Bucks on January 10, 1971, leaving the game with an injured wrist.
He was known as "The Honeycomb Kid", or "Honeycomb" for short, a nickname that his University of Idaho coach bestowed on him. Early in his career, he had a gold star set into one of his front teeth.
As a member of the Bullets, Johnson was voted to the All-Rookie Team for 1963–64, averaging 17.3 points and 13.6 rebounds per game. He was named to the All-NBA Second Team four times and to the All-NBA Defense First Team on two occasions. His number 25 jersey was retired by the Bullets franchise in 1986, months before his death.
Johnson was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010.
Johnson was born on December 13, 1938, amid the slums of Akron, Ohio. Johnson himself stated, however, that his family did not have a lot, but he did not live in the ghetto. Johnson was one of six children. As a teenager, Johnson would frequent local bars and pool halls, but never got into any serious trouble. Johnson attended Akron Central High School, where he starred on the basketball team under coach Joe Siegferth.
Siegferth never had any problems with Johnson, finding he took playing basketball seriously. Johnson was already 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) in high school and physically strong. In 1958, Johnson led the team to a city championship. He was selected an All-City and All-District basketball player. He was also selected an All-State basketball player for the 1957–58 season. He once scored 65 points in a single game.
One of his high school teammates was fellow future Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame member Nate Thurmond, who was one year behind Johnson in high school. In part, Thurmond's presence accounted for the fact that, despite his own clear talent and athletic ability, Johnson had few college athletic scholarship offers.[citation needed] However, it is also reported that Thurmond had not yet grown to his full size in high school, was a year behind Johnson, and considered Johnson the team leader. Johnson was sought by many colleges, and letters from colleges poured in to Johnson (which Johnson ignored). In 1960, the Cleveland Plain Dealer called Johnson "the greatest high school player to come out of Akron", which arguably remained the case until LeBron James.
Hub AI
Gus Johnson (basketball) AI simulator
(@Gus Johnson (basketball)_simulator)
Gus Johnson (basketball)
Gus "Honeycomb" Johnson Jr. (December 13, 1938 – April 29, 1987) was an American professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and American Basketball Association (ABA). A 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m), 235-pound (107 kg) forward who occasionally played center, Johnson spent nine seasons with the Baltimore Bullets before he split his final campaign between the Phoenix Suns and Indiana Pacers, where he won the ABA championship in his final game. Johnson did not come into the NBA until he was almost 25-years old. He was a five-time NBA All-Star by age 33, before chronic knee issues took their toll late in his career.
Johnson shattered three backboards on dunk attempts in his career, tearing down his first basket in 1964 against the Hawks at Kiel Auditorium in St. Louis. He last shattered a backboard against the Milwaukee Bucks on January 10, 1971, leaving the game with an injured wrist.
He was known as "The Honeycomb Kid", or "Honeycomb" for short, a nickname that his University of Idaho coach bestowed on him. Early in his career, he had a gold star set into one of his front teeth.
As a member of the Bullets, Johnson was voted to the All-Rookie Team for 1963–64, averaging 17.3 points and 13.6 rebounds per game. He was named to the All-NBA Second Team four times and to the All-NBA Defense First Team on two occasions. His number 25 jersey was retired by the Bullets franchise in 1986, months before his death.
Johnson was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010.
Johnson was born on December 13, 1938, amid the slums of Akron, Ohio. Johnson himself stated, however, that his family did not have a lot, but he did not live in the ghetto. Johnson was one of six children. As a teenager, Johnson would frequent local bars and pool halls, but never got into any serious trouble. Johnson attended Akron Central High School, where he starred on the basketball team under coach Joe Siegferth.
Siegferth never had any problems with Johnson, finding he took playing basketball seriously. Johnson was already 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) in high school and physically strong. In 1958, Johnson led the team to a city championship. He was selected an All-City and All-District basketball player. He was also selected an All-State basketball player for the 1957–58 season. He once scored 65 points in a single game.
One of his high school teammates was fellow future Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame member Nate Thurmond, who was one year behind Johnson in high school. In part, Thurmond's presence accounted for the fact that, despite his own clear talent and athletic ability, Johnson had few college athletic scholarship offers.[citation needed] However, it is also reported that Thurmond had not yet grown to his full size in high school, was a year behind Johnson, and considered Johnson the team leader. Johnson was sought by many colleges, and letters from colleges poured in to Johnson (which Johnson ignored). In 1960, the Cleveland Plain Dealer called Johnson "the greatest high school player to come out of Akron", which arguably remained the case until LeBron James.