Dennis Johnson

Dennis Johnson
	Johnson going for a layup with Robert Parish in the background
Personal information
Born	September 18, 1954; Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Died	February 22, 2007 (aged 52); Austin, Texas, U.S.
Listed height	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Listed weight	185 lb (84 kg)
Career information
High school	Dominguez (Compton, California)
College	LA Harbor College (1973–1975); Pepperdine (1975–1976);
NBA draft	1976: 2nd round, 29th overall pick
Drafted by	Seattle SuperSonics
Playing career	1976–1990
Position	Point guard / shooting guard
Number	24, 3
Coaching career	1993–2007
Career history
Playing
1976–1980	Seattle SuperSonics
1980–1983	Phoenix Suns
1983–1990	Boston Celtics
Coaching
1993–1997	Boston Celtics (assistant)
1999–2000	La Crosse Bobcats
2000–2003	Los Angeles Clippers (assistant)
2003	Los Angeles Clippers (interim)
2004–2005	Florida Flame
2005–2007	Austin Toros
Career highlights
	3× NBA champion (1979, 1984, 1986); NBA Finals MVP (1979); 5× NBA All-Star (1979–1982, 1985); All-NBA First Team (1981); All-NBA Second Team (1980); 6× NBA All-Defensive First Team (1979–1983, 1987); 3× NBA All-Defensive Second Team (1984–1986); No. 3 retired by Boston Celtics;
Career NBA statistics
Points	15,535 (14.1 ppg)
Assists	5,499 (5.0 apg)
Steals	1,477 (1.3 spg)
	Stats at NBA.com
	Stats at Basketball Reference
	Basketball Hall of Fame

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. He was a coach of the Los Angeles Clippers and an alumnus of Dominguez High School, Los Angeles Harbor College and Pepperdine University.

Johnson overcame early struggles to have 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 three seasons 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. Known as a defensive stopper, he retired with a 17.2% three-point shooting percentage, the lowest of any NBA player with at least 200 attempts.

The Celtics retired Johnson's No. 3 jersey, which hangs from the rafters of the TD Garden, the team's home arena. The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inducted Johnson posthumously in 2010. Some sports journalists consider him among the most underrated players of all time.