Dennis Johnson - Net Worth, Age, Height, Birthday, Bio, Wiki!

Explore Dennis Johnson net worth, age, height, bio, birthday, wiki, and salary! Hall of Fame guard who led the Seattle SuperSonics to their only NBA Championship in 1979. He won two more NBA Championships as a member of the Boston Celtics in the 1980s and he was selected to five NBA All-Star teams over the course of his 14-year career. In this article, we will discover how old is Dennis Johnson? Who is Dennis Johnson dating now & how much money does Dennis Johnson have?

Dennis Johnson Biography

Dennis Johnson is one of the most popular and richest Basketball Player who was born on September 18, 1954 in Los Angeles, California, United States. He played alongside fellow Hall of Famer Larry Bird on the Celtics in the 1980s.

The Seattle SuperSonics took Johnson in the second round of the 1976 draft with the 29th pick and gave him a four-year contract, with which he earned a salary of $45,000 in the first year and $90,000 in the last. In his rookie year, the 1976–77 NBA season, Johnson, playing backup to the experienced Sonics backcourt tandem of Slick Watts and Fred Brown, averaged 9.2 points and 1.5 assists per game. The Sonics finished with a 40–42 record and missed the 1977 NBA Playoffs, leading head coach Bill Russell to resign. In the following season, the team lost 17 of the first 22 games under Russell’s replacement Bob Hopkins, who was replaced by Hall of Fame coach Lenny Wilkens, who gave Johnson a starting spot and paired him with Gus Williams. Johnson revelled in this new role, improving his averages to 12.7 points and 2.8 assists per game. During this period Johnson played shooting guard and was known for his aggressive slam dunking, in contrast to the more cerebral roles he played later in his career. It was at this time that Johnson’s nickname “DJ” was coined by play-by-play announcer Bob Blackburn, to help distinguish him from teammates, John Johnson and Vinnie Johnson (whom Blackburn referred to as “JJ” and “VJ”, respectively).

At the end of his junior college career, two universities offered Johnson scholarships: Azusa Pacific University and Pepperdine University. Johnson chose the latter, and in his only year there, he averaged 15.7 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game, and developed a reputation for tough defense. After that year, Johnson made himself eligible for the 1976 NBA draft, but was skeptical that any team would take him. NBA teams were wary of drafting a player with character issues, and Johnson was known to be a troublemaker.

He married Donna Davis in 1976 and stayed with her until his death; they had three children together.

His #3 jersey was retired by the Boston Celtics and he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010.

Dennis Wayne Johnson (September 18, 1954 – February 22, 2007), nicknamed “DJ”, was an American professional basketball player for the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) Seattle SuperSonics, Phoenix Suns and Boston Celtics and coach of the Los Angeles Clippers. He was an alumnus of Dominguez High School, Los Angeles Harbor College and Pepperdine University.

Dennis Johnson Net Worth

Dennis is one of the richest Basketball Player from United States. According to our analysis, Wikipedia, Forbes & Business Insider, Dennis Johnson's net worth $5 Million. (Last Update: January 13, 2024)

He worked as a forklift driver until a growth spurt allowed him to pursue basketball. After spending a season with Pepperdine’s basketball team, he was selected 29th overall by the SuperSonics in 1976.

In 1,100 games, Johnson scored 15,535 points, grabbed 4,249 rebounds and gave 5,499 assists, translating to career averages of 14.1 points, 3.9 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game. Known as a defensive stalwart, he was elected into nine straight All-Defensive First or Second Teams. NBA legend George Gervin said in a podcast with journalist Bill Simmons that Johnson was the hardest defender he ever played against. Johnson is also acknowledged by the NBA as a “money player” who was clutch in decisive moments, such as scoring 32 points for his team in a Game 4 overtime victory in the 1979 NBA Finals, playing smothering defense on Magic Johnson in the 1984 NBA Finals, and converting a last-second layup in Game 5 of the 1987 Eastern Conference Finals after a Larry Bird steal.

Between the 1979–80 season and the 1981–82 season, the Celtics had lost to the Philadelphia 76ers in the Eastern Conference Finals two out of three times, mainly because physical Sixers guard Andrew Toney routinely caused problems for their defensively fragile backcourt. After subsequently getting swept by the Bucks in the 1982–83 Eastern Conference Semifinals, Celtics general manager Red Auerbach added the perennial All-Defensive Team member Johnson to his squad, hoping that Johnson would help the Celtics fare better in the Eastern Conference playoffs (particularly against the 76ers). Johnson joined a squad that included Hall of Fame forwards Larry Bird and Kevin McHale and Hall of Fame center Robert Parish, a trio that has been described as the best NBA frontcourt of all time. Johnson described joining the Celtics as a “dream come true” and enjoyed the tutelage of highly successful general manager Auerbach, who was “living history” according to Johnson.

Ethnicity, religion & political views

Many peoples want to know what is Dennis Johnson ethnicity, nationality, Ancestry & Race? Let's check it out! As per public resource, IMDb & Wikipedia, Dennis Johnson's ethnicity is Not Known. We will update Dennis Johnson's religion & political views in this article. Please check the article again after few days.

Johnson and the Sonics got their revenge in the 1978–79 season. After clinching the Pacific Division with a 52–30 record, the team met the Bullets again in the 1979 NBA Finals. After losing Game 1, the Sonics won the next four games to take the finals series, helped by Johnson who averaged almost 23 points along with six rebounds and assists per game. He scored 32 points in a Game 4 overtime victory, and was named NBA Finals MVP. It was during this season that Johnson established himself as one of the best guards in the league; he averaged 15.9 points and 3.5 assists per game, and made his first All-Defensive First Team and All-Star Game appearance.

Who is Dennis Johnson Dating?

According to our records, Dennis Johnson married to Donna Johnson . As of January 13, 2024, Dennis Johnson’s is not dating anyone.

In the 1984–85 season, Johnson continued playing smothering defense, earning his next All-Defensive Second Team call-up while averaging 16.9 points and 7.3 assists per game. The Celtics met the Lakers in the 1985 NBA Finals again. Johnson’s big moment came in Game 4: when the score was tied at 105, teammate Larry Bird had the ball in the last seconds. Being double-teamed by Lakers Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson, Bird passed to the open Johnson, and the guard sank a 19-ft buzzer beater to win the game. The Lakers, however, took their revenge this time, winning the series in six games, powered by venerable 38-year-old Finals MVP Abdul-Jabbar. Johnson described this loss as one of the toughest in his career, because the Celtics were “close [to winning the series]”, but “could not get the job done”.

Height, Weight & Body Measurements

Dennis Johnson height 6 ft 4 in Dennis weight Not Known & body measurements will update soon.

A prototypical late bloomer, Johnson overcame early struggles and had a successful NBA playing career. Drafted 29th overall in 1976 by the Seattle SuperSonics, Johnson began his professional career as a shooting guard. He eventually led the Sonics to their only NBA championship in 1979, winning the Finals MVP Award. After a short stint with the Phoenix Suns, he became the starting point guard for the Boston Celtics, with whom he won two more championships. Johnson was voted into five All-Star Teams, one All-NBA First and one Second Team, and nine consecutive All-Defensive First and Second Teams. Apart from his reputation as a defensive stopper, Johnson was known as a clutch player who made several decisive plays in NBA playoffs history.

With the Celtics Johnson changed his playing style for the third time in his career: after being known as a slam dunking shooting guard with the Sonics, and an all-around scorer with the Suns, he now established himself as a point guard who was defined more by playmaking than scoring. In his first year as a Celtic, he averaged 13.2 points and 4.2 assists and was elected to the All-Defensive Second Team. The Celtics reached the 1984 NBA Finals, where they met the Los Angeles Lakers, their intense rivals since the 1960s. The Celtics won 4–3, and Johnson took credit for playing smothering defense on Hall of Fame Lakers playmaker Earvin Johnson, limiting him to a sub-average 17 points in the last four games, and being at least partly responsible for several of the Laker point guard’s game-deciding errors in Games 2, 4 and 7. As a result, Magic Johnson was taunted as “Tragic Johnson” whenever the Lakers and Celtics played against each other.

Facts & Trivia

Dennis Ranked on the list of most popular Basketball Player. Also ranked in the elit list of famous people born in United States. Dennis Johnson celebrates birthday on September 18 of every year.

In the following season the Celtics made the playoffs, helped by the performance of Johnson, who made the All-Defensive Second Team again while tallying 17.8 points and 6.7 assists per game. After defeating the Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference Finals, the Celtics reached the 1986 NBA Finals against the up-and-coming Houston Rockets, led by the “Twin Towers” of centers Ralph Sampson and Hakeem Olajuwon. Led by Finals MVP Larry Bird, the Celtics beat the Rockets 4–2, and Johnson won his third title.

What happened to Dennis Johnson?

Dennis Johnson died after coaching a practice with the Toros suffering from cardiac arrest on Feb. 22, 2007. He was 52 years old. Three years after his death, Johnson received a basketball player’s ultimate honor when he was enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame.

Did Dennis Johnson pass away?

February 22, 2007

How old is Dennis Johnson?

52 years (1954–2007)

Who did Dennis Johnson play for NBA?

All teams

How tall is Dennis Johnson?

6′ 4″

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