Hoops Habit
Fansided

Oklahoma City Thunder: 25 Best Players To Play For The Thunder

By Phil Watson

May 28, 2016; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; General view of t-shirts lining the seats before the game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Golden State Warriors in game six of the Western conference finals of the NBA Playoffs at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports
May 28, 2016; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; General view of t-shirts lining the seats before the game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Golden State Warriors in game six of the Western conference finals of the NBA Playoffs at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
17 of 26
Next
Basketball: NBA Finals: Seattle SuperSonics Dennis Johnson (24) in action vs Baltimore Bullets. Landover, MD 5/20/1979--6/1/1979 CREDIT: Walter Iooss Jr. (Photo by Walter Iooss Jr. /Sports Illustrated/Getty Images) (Set Number: X23441 )
Basketball: NBA Finals: Seattle SuperSonics Dennis Johnson (24) in action vs Baltimore Bullets. Landover, MD 5/20/1979–6/1/1979 CREDIT: Walter Iooss Jr. (Photo by Walter Iooss Jr. /Sports Illustrated/Getty Images) (Set Number: X23441 ) /

1976-80. Dennis Johnson. 10. player. 149. Second-round pick (29th overall) from Pepperdine, 1976 NBA Draft.. SG

Dennis Johnson was something of an unknown entity after making himself eligible for the draft after his lone season at Pepperdine, where he averaged nearly 16 points and six rebounds a game as a JUCO transfer.

The Seattle SuperSonics took Johnson in the second round, 29th overall, of the 1976 NBA Draft and discovered a gem.

OKC_10_JOHNSON
OKC_10_JOHNSON /

Johnson was a two-time All-Star, an All-NBA selection in 1979-80 and a two-time All-Defensive pick while with the Sonics, finishing fifth in the MVP voting in 1979-80.

He also helped Seattle to the NBA Finals in 1978 and 1979.

In the 1978 NBA Finals against the Washington Bullets, Johnson averaged 16.6 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.9 assists in 36.6 minutes per game, shooting 38.6 percent from the floor and 76 percent from the line in the seven-game loss.

In a rematch with the Bullets in 1979, however, Johnson earned Finals MVP honors, averaging 22.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 2.2 blocks and 1.8 steals in 44.8 minutes a game on 45.9 percent shooting while hitting 71.9 percent from the free-throw stripe.

In June 1980, the Sonics traded Johnson to the Phoenix Suns for Paul Westphal.

In his four seasons in Seattle, Johnson averaged 14.2 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.5 steals in 29.5 minutes per game, shooting .436/.207/.739.

Johnson was an All-Star twice with the Suns while earning All-NBA honors once to go with three All-Defensive nods.

In June 1983, he was traded to the Boston Celtics, where he was an All-Star once more while earning four All-Defensive selections and helping the Celtics to two championships in 1984 and 1986.

He retired in October 1990 when Boston declined to offer him a new contract.

Johnson was interim coach of the Los Angeles Clippers briefly in 2003, going 8-16.

While coaching the Austin Toros of the D-League, Johnson had a heart attack at the end of a practice and died at a nearby hospital on Feb. 22, 2007, at the age of 52.

He is 46th in NBA history with 5,499 assists and 44th with 1,477 steals and was posthumously inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010.

Next: German Found A Nice Niche Back In Seattle

Home/Oklahoma City Thunder