Golden State Warriors: 10 greatest free agent signings ever
By Drew Taylor
#3. Neil Johnston
Out of college, Neil Johnston signed a contract with the Philadelphia Phillies to play baseball and pitch for one of their minor league affiliates.
After some arm injuries and lackluster two-plus years playing baseball, Johnston decided to call it quits halfway through the 1951 season to try out for Philadelphia’s basketball team, the Philadelphia Warriors.
Johnston had a poor rookie season with his new team, but shortly after, his basketball career took off.
His averages jumped from just 6.0 points per game to leading the NBA in scoring with 22.3, 24.2, and 22.7 points per game respectively. In fact, Johnston is one of seven players in NBA history to lead the league in scoring three seasons in a row, the other six being Michael Jordan, Kevin Durant, George Gervin, Bob McAdoo, Wilt Chamberlain, and George Mikan. With this accomplishment, Johnston joins some pretty elite company to say the least.
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In the 1954-55 season, Johnston led the league in rebounds as well, averaging 15.1 rebounds per game. Standing at only 6’8″, his 1954-55 season still stands as one of the 100 best rebounding seasons in NBA history.
As one of the decade’s best players, Johnston led the NBA in win shares, a statistic which attempts to divvy up credit for team success to the individual players on the team, for five straight seasons.
He was a selection to the All-NBA First Team four seasons in a row with players like Bob Cousy and Bob Pettit.
And finally, in his fourth straight season averaging 20+ points and 10+ rebounds per game, Johnston and his teammate Paul Arizin led the Philadelphia Warriors to the organization’s first NBA title in 1956.
After two more seasons putting up almost identical numbers, Johnston’s basketball career came to an unfortunate, abrupt halt after he smashed into a wall and shattered his knee in an exhibition game. Though he played one more season for the Warriors and eventually contributed to the team as a coach, we would never see Johnston compete at the same level of play ever again.
A 6x All-Star, 3x scoring champion, 1x rebound champion, 5x All-NBA selection, 1x NBA champion, and a 1990 Hall of Fame inductee, Johnston spent his entire eight-year career in Philadelphia and had cumulative averages of 19.4 points and 11.3 rebounds.
Though one of the better players in the 1950s, Johnston remains relatively unknown and overshadowed by players like George Mikan and Wilt Chamberlain who either came and went shortly before or after him
Still, his elite shooting ability and knack for rebounding in the NBA’s early stages must not be forgotten.