Dennis Wayne Johnson (September 18, 1954 -- February 22, 2007), nicknamed "DJ", was an American professional basketball player for the National Basketball Association Seattle SuperSonics, Phoenix Suns and the Boston Celtics and coach of the Austin Toros of the National Basketball Association Development League. He is an alumnus of Dominguez High School, Los Angeles Harbor College and Pepperdine University. A prototypical latebloomer, the 6'4" Johnson overcame early struggles and had a successful NBA player career. Playing the roles of shooting guard in his first years before becoming a point guard with the Celtics, he won three NBA championships, winning the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award in the 1979 NBA Finals, was voted into five All-Star Teams, in one All-NBA First and one Second Team, and into nine straight 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 Finals history. For his feats, the Celtics franchise has retired Johnson's number-3 jersey, which hangs from the rafters of the Boston Garden. Despite his performances, Johnson was denied induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame, and is therefore considered by several sports journalists as one of the most underrated players of all time. 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 and Second Teams, and is acknowledged by the NBA as a "money player" who was clutch in decisive moments, such as playing smothering defense on Magic Johnson in the 1984 NBA Finals, converting a last-second layup in Game 4 of the 1987 Eastern Conference Finals after a Larry Bird steal, and most importantly winning the 1979 NBA Finals MVP award. Furthermore, Johnson is lauded by the NBA as a versatile all-around weapon who played with "contagious competitiveness". and was known for his durability: in 14 NBA seasons, he played in 1,100 of a possible 1,148 games and participated in 180 playoff games, the latter figure the 11th highest number of all time. At his retirement, Johnson was only the 11th NBA player to amass more than 15,000 points and 5,000 assists. On December 13, 1991, the Celtics franchise retired his number-3 jersey. Johnson described the experience as "special feeling" and said he will always be a Boston Celtic. However, Johnson did not live to see an induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame, a fact that has been a considerable point of debate with sports journalists. Bill Simmons of ESPN called his Hall of Fame snub an "ongoing injustice", stating that according to him, Joe Dumars -- Hall of Famer known for strong defense rather than spectacular scoring, like Johnson -- was no better [a basketball player] than him. Also colleague Ken Shouler called Johnson "one of the first guys I'd give a Hall [of Fame] pass". Contemporary Boston Celtics Hall-of-fame forward Larry Bird in any case gave Johnson ultimate praise, calling him the best teammate he ever had in his biography Drive. On October 26, 2007, a learning center was dedicated in Johnson's name in the Central Branch of the YMCA of Greater Boston. The center was made possible by the donations and effort of Larry Bird and M.L. Carr. Johnson's family, Danny Ainge, Carr, and members of YMCA and local community were present for the ribbon cutting ceremony.

• published: 31 Dec 2013