Avery Johnson
Encyclopedia
Avery Johnson is a former American professional basketball
player and current head coach of the National Basketball Association
(NBA) team New Jersey Nets
. He has also coached the Dallas Mavericks
, leading them to their first NBA Finals
appearance and four consecutive 50+ win seasons. During his playing days, Johnson was known as the "Little General" for his small (by NBA standards) stature, his leadership skills as a point guard
and floor general, and his close friendship with former San Antonio Spurs
teammate David "The Admiral" Robinson
.
to a 35–0 record and the Class 4A Louisiana State Championship. Johnson matriculated at New Mexico Junior College
before moving on to Cameron University
, and finally Southern University
, with whom in his senior season in 1988 he led the NCAA with 13.3 assists per game, a senior and all-time record that still stands. Upon graduation
in 1988 Johnson was not selected in the NBA Draft
. After a summer season with the USBL's Palm Beach
Stingrays, however, Johnson was signed by the Seattle SuperSonics
and managed to spend the next 16 years playing in the NBA
, including stints with the Denver Nuggets
, Houston Rockets
, Golden State Warriors
, and Dallas Mavericks
. A true journeyman
as a player, occasionally being traded, or even waived, mid-season, Johnson is best known for his time with the San Antonio Spurs
(1991, 1992–1993, 1994–2001), particularly his integral role on the 1999 Spurs team that won the NBA championship
against the New York Knicks
in which he hit the championship-winning shot in Game 5. The San Antonio Spurs retired Johnson's number 6 on December 22, 2007 in a home game against the Los Angeles Clippers
. He was also inducted into the "San Antonio Sports Hall of Fame" on February 20, 2009.
under Don Nelson
. Johnson had played under Nelson from 2001–2003, and it was understood from the beginning that he was being groomed to eventually succeed Nelson as head coach
. His transition from assistant to head coach came five months later on March 19, 2005 after Nelson resigned.
Under Johnson, the Mavericks closed out the 2004–2005 season with a 16–2 run and a first-round playoff victory over the Houston Rockets
, before bowing out to the Phoenix Suns
in the second round of the playoffs
. Johnson was named the April 2005 NBA Coach of the Month, only one month after becoming a head coach for the first time.
The 2005–06 season was even more successful for Johnson and was marked by a series of milestones. In November 2005 Johnson again won the NBA Coach of the Month award (his second and second consecutive, following his award from April the previous season), making him the first NBA coach to win the award in his first two months as a head coach. On January 28, 2006, when the Dallas Mavericks defeated the Utah Jazz
, Johnson's record as coach reached 50–12, making Johnson the fastest coach to reach 50 wins. In February 2006, he was chosen to coach the 2006 NBA All-Star team
for the Western Conference
. On March 15, 2006, Johnson set the record for most wins over the course of a coach's first 82 games (the equivalent of a full season), with 66 wins over the span. Although Johnson ultimately led the Mavericks to the second-best record in the Western Conference, the team entered the playoffs as the fourth seed in the west, due to the structure of the 2006 NBA Playoffs
seeding. In April 2006, Johnson was rewarded for this success with the 2006 NBA Coach of the Year Award
.
In June 2006, after defeating the Memphis Grizzlies
, the defending champion San Antonio Spurs
, and the Phoenix Suns
in the first three rounds of the playoffs, Johnson led the Dallas Mavericks to their first ever NBA Finals appearance. However, the Mavs were defeated in the series by the Miami Heat
, losing 4 straight after winning the first two games.
On December 31, 2006, Johnson became the fastest head coach to win 100 games by defeating the Denver Nuggets
. In the 2006–07 season, Johnson's Mavericks had the best record in the NBA with 67 wins and entered the playoffs as first seed. However, his Mavericks eventually lost to the 8th seed Golden State Warriors
, led by former Mavericks head coach Don Nelson
, in one of the biggest upsets in recent NBA history.
With his win on November 18, 2007 against the Grizzlies, Johnson became the fastest coach to reach 150 wins. Following the 2007–2008 season, the Mavericks, under Johnson, were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs
for the second year in a row. A day later, on April 30, 2008, Johnson was dismissed as head coach of the Mavericks.
/ABC
as a studio analyst, until he received an offer to become head coach of the New Jersey Nets
.
. Johnson later confirmed on ESPN.com that the reports were true, making him the newest coach of the Nets team that went 12–70 during their 2009–10 campaign
.
| align="left" |DAL
| align="left" |
|18||16||2||.889|| align="center" |2nd in Southwest||13||6||7||.462
| align="center" |Lost in Conf. Semifinals
|-
| align="left" |DAL
| align="left" |
|82||60||22||.732|| align="center" |2nd in Southwest||23||14||9||.609
| align="center" |Lost in NBA Finals
|-
| align="left" |DAL
| align="left" |
|82||67||15||.817|| align="center" |1st in Southwest||6||2||4||.333
| align="center" |Lost in First Round
|-
| align="left" |DAL
| align="left" |
|82||51||31||.622|| align="center" |4th in Southwest||5||1||4||.200
| align="center" |Lost in First Round
|-
| align="left" |NJN
| align="left" |
|82||24||58||.293|| align="center" |4th in Atlantic||—||—||—||—
| align="center" |Missed Playoffs
|-class="sortbottom"
| align="left" |Career
| ||346||218||128||.630|| ||47||23||24||.489
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player and current head coach of the National Basketball Association
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
(NBA) team New Jersey Nets
New Jersey Nets
The New Jersey Nets are a professional basketball team based in Newark, New Jersey. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...
. He has also coached the Dallas Mavericks
Dallas Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks are a professional basketball team based in Dallas, Texas. They are members of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association , and the reigning NBA champions, having defeated the Miami Heat in the 2011 NBA Finals.According to a 2011...
, leading them to their first NBA Finals
NBA Finals
The NBA Finals is the championship series of the National Basketball Association . The series was named the NBA World Championship Series until 1986....
appearance and four consecutive 50+ win seasons. During his playing days, Johnson was known as the "Little General" for his small (by NBA standards) stature, his leadership skills as a point guard
Point guard
Point guard , also called the play maker or "the ball-handler", is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position – essentially, he is expected to run the team's offense by controlling the ball and making sure that...
and floor general, and his close friendship with former San Antonio Spurs
San Antonio Spurs
The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio, Texas. They are part of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association ....
teammate David "The Admiral" Robinson
David Robinson (basketball)
David Maurice Robinson is a retired American NBA basketball player, who played center for the San Antonio Spurs for his entire NBA career. Based on his prior service as an officer in the United States Navy, Robinson earned the nickname "The Admiral". He and teammate power forward Tim Duncan were...
.
Playing career
As a high school senior in 1983, Johnson led New Orleans' St. Augustine High SchoolSt. Augustine High School (New Orleans)
St. Augustine High School or "St. Aug" is an all-boys parochial high school in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. It was founded in 1951 and covers grades 6 through 12 .-History:...
to a 35–0 record and the Class 4A Louisiana State Championship. Johnson matriculated at New Mexico Junior College
New Mexico Junior College
New Mexico Junior College is a public junior college located less than outside of Hobbs, New Mexico, in the southeastern corner of the state.-History:New Mexico Junior College first opened its doors to students in the fall of 1966...
before moving on to Cameron University
Cameron University
Cameron University is a four-year, state-funded university located in Lawton, Oklahoma, that offers more than 50 degrees through two-year, four-year and graduate programs. The degree programs emphasize the liberal arts, science and technology and graduate and professional studies...
, and finally Southern University
Southern University
Southern University and A&M College is a historically black college located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The Baton Rouge campus is located on Scott’s Bluff overlooking the Mississippi River in the northern section...
, with whom in his senior season in 1988 he led the NCAA with 13.3 assists per game, a senior and all-time record that still stands. Upon graduation
Graduation
Graduation is the action of receiving or conferring an academic degree or the ceremony that is sometimes associated, where students become Graduates. Before the graduation, candidates are referred to as Graduands. The date of graduation is often called degree day. The graduation itself is also...
in 1988 Johnson was not selected in the NBA Draft
1988 NBA Draft
The 1988 NBA Draft took place on June 28, 1988 in New York City, New York. The length was reduced from seven rounds in the previous year to three rounds.-Round one:-Round two:-Round three:-Notable undrafted players:...
. After a summer season with the USBL's Palm Beach
Palm Beach, Florida
The Town of Palm Beach is an incorporated town in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. The Intracoastal Waterway separates it from the neighboring cities of West Palm Beach and Lake Worth...
Stingrays, however, Johnson was signed by the Seattle SuperSonics
Seattle SuperSonics
The Seattle SuperSonics were an American professional basketball team based in Seattle, Washington that played in the Pacific and Northwest Divisions of the National Basketball Association from 1967 until 2008. Following the 2007–08 season, the team relocated to Oklahoma City, and now plays as...
and managed to spend the next 16 years playing in the NBA
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
, including stints with the Denver Nuggets
Denver Nuggets
The Denver Nuggets are a professional basketball team based in Denver, Colorado. They play in the National Basketball Association . They were founded as the Denver Rockets in 1967 as a charter franchise of the American Basketball Association, and became one of that league's more successful teams...
, Houston Rockets
Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston, Texas. The team plays in the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was established in 1967, and played in San Diego, California for four years, before being...
, Golden State Warriors
Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in Oakland, California. They are part of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
, and Dallas Mavericks
Dallas Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks are a professional basketball team based in Dallas, Texas. They are members of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association , and the reigning NBA champions, having defeated the Miami Heat in the 2011 NBA Finals.According to a 2011...
. A true journeyman
Journeyman (sports)
A journeyman or journeywoman is an athlete or professional sports player who is technically competent, but unable to excel. In certain parts of the world the term has less negative connotations and the inability to excel is not needed for a player to be labelled thus.-Definitions:Alexandra Allred...
as a player, occasionally being traded, or even waived, mid-season, Johnson is best known for his time with the San Antonio Spurs
San Antonio Spurs
The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio, Texas. They are part of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association ....
(1991, 1992–1993, 1994–2001), particularly his integral role on the 1999 Spurs team that won the NBA championship
NBA Finals
The NBA Finals is the championship series of the National Basketball Association . The series was named the NBA World Championship Series until 1986....
against the New York Knicks
New York Knicks
The New York Knickerbockers, prominently known as the Knicks, are a professional basketball team based in New York City. They are part of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...
in which he hit the championship-winning shot in Game 5. The San Antonio Spurs retired Johnson's number 6 on December 22, 2007 in a home game against the Los Angeles Clippers
Los Angeles Clippers
The Los Angeles Clippers are a professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California, United States. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association...
. He was also inducted into the "San Antonio Sports Hall of Fame" on February 20, 2009.
Dallas Mavericks
On October 28, 2004, Johnson retired from playing and signed as an assistant coach with the Dallas MavericksDallas Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks are a professional basketball team based in Dallas, Texas. They are members of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association , and the reigning NBA champions, having defeated the Miami Heat in the 2011 NBA Finals.According to a 2011...
under Don Nelson
Don Nelson
Donald Arvid "Don" Nelson is a former NBA player and head coach. He coached the Milwaukee Bucks, the New York Knicks, the Dallas Mavericks, and the Golden State Warriors....
. Johnson had played under Nelson from 2001–2003, and it was understood from the beginning that he was being groomed to eventually succeed Nelson as head coach
Head coach
A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches...
. His transition from assistant to head coach came five months later on March 19, 2005 after Nelson resigned.
Under Johnson, the Mavericks closed out the 2004–2005 season with a 16–2 run and a first-round playoff victory over the Houston Rockets
Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston, Texas. The team plays in the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was established in 1967, and played in San Diego, California for four years, before being...
, before bowing out to the Phoenix Suns
Phoenix Suns
The Phoenix Suns are a professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association and the only team in their division not to be based in California. Their home arena since 1992 has been the US...
in the second round of the playoffs
NBA Playoffs
The National Basketball Association Playoffs is a best-of-seven elimination tournament among sixteen teams in the Eastern Conference and Western Conference , ultimately deciding the final four teams who will play in the NBA Conference Finals.-Format:Following the NBA regular season, eight teams in...
. Johnson was named the April 2005 NBA Coach of the Month, only one month after becoming a head coach for the first time.
The 2005–06 season was even more successful for Johnson and was marked by a series of milestones. In November 2005 Johnson again won the NBA Coach of the Month award (his second and second consecutive, following his award from April the previous season), making him the first NBA coach to win the award in his first two months as a head coach. On January 28, 2006, when the Dallas Mavericks defeated the Utah Jazz
Utah Jazz
The Utah Jazz is a professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City, Utah. They are currently a part of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
, Johnson's record as coach reached 50–12, making Johnson the fastest coach to reach 50 wins. In February 2006, he was chosen to coach the 2006 NBA All-Star team
2006 NBA All-Star Game
The 2006 NBA All-Star Game was played on Sunday, February 19, 2006 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas, home of the Houston Rockets. The game was the 55th annual All-Star game...
for the Western Conference
Western Conference (NBA)
Below is a list of current Western Conference NBA team rosters.-Western Conference:There are a total of 15 teams in the Western Conference. The current leading team of the Western conference are the Dallas Mavericks....
. On March 15, 2006, Johnson set the record for most wins over the course of a coach's first 82 games (the equivalent of a full season), with 66 wins over the span. Although Johnson ultimately led the Mavericks to the second-best record in the Western Conference, the team entered the playoffs as the fourth seed in the west, due to the structure of the 2006 NBA Playoffs
2006 NBA Playoffs
The 2006 NBA Playoffs was the postseason of the National Basketball Association's 2005–06 season. The Miami Heat won the first championship in the history of the franchise by defeating the Dallas Mavericks 4-2 in the 2006 NBA Finals...
seeding. In April 2006, Johnson was rewarded for this success with the 2006 NBA Coach of the Year Award
NBA Coach of the Year Award
The National Basketball Association's Coach of the Year is an annual National Basketball Association award given since the 1962–63 NBA season. The winner receives the Red Auerbach Trophy, which is named in honor of the head coach who led the Boston Celtics to nine NBA Championships from 1956 to 1966...
.
In June 2006, after defeating the Memphis Grizzlies
Memphis Grizzlies
The Memphis Grizzlies are a professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee, USA. The team is part of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . Along with the Toronto Raptors, the Grizzlies were established in 1995 as part of the NBA's...
, the defending champion San Antonio Spurs
San Antonio Spurs
The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio, Texas. They are part of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association ....
, and the Phoenix Suns
Phoenix Suns
The Phoenix Suns are a professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association and the only team in their division not to be based in California. Their home arena since 1992 has been the US...
in the first three rounds of the playoffs, Johnson led the Dallas Mavericks to their first ever NBA Finals appearance. However, the Mavs were defeated in the series by the Miami Heat
Miami Heat
The Miami Heat is a professional basketball team based in Miami, Florida, United States. The team is a member of the Southeast Division in the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . They play their home games at American Airlines Arena in Downtown Miami...
, losing 4 straight after winning the first two games.
On December 31, 2006, Johnson became the fastest head coach to win 100 games by defeating the Denver Nuggets
Denver Nuggets
The Denver Nuggets are a professional basketball team based in Denver, Colorado. They play in the National Basketball Association . They were founded as the Denver Rockets in 1967 as a charter franchise of the American Basketball Association, and became one of that league's more successful teams...
. In the 2006–07 season, Johnson's Mavericks had the best record in the NBA with 67 wins and entered the playoffs as first seed. However, his Mavericks eventually lost to the 8th seed Golden State Warriors
Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in Oakland, California. They are part of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
, led by former Mavericks head coach Don Nelson
Don Nelson
Donald Arvid "Don" Nelson is a former NBA player and head coach. He coached the Milwaukee Bucks, the New York Knicks, the Dallas Mavericks, and the Golden State Warriors....
, in one of the biggest upsets in recent NBA history.
With his win on November 18, 2007 against the Grizzlies, Johnson became the fastest coach to reach 150 wins. Following the 2007–2008 season, the Mavericks, under Johnson, were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs
2008 NBA Playoffs
The 2008 NBA Playoffs was the postseason for the National Basketball Association's 2007–08 season which ended with the Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics defeating the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers 4–2....
for the second year in a row. A day later, on April 30, 2008, Johnson was dismissed as head coach of the Mavericks.
2008–10: ESPN Analyst
Johnson later joined ESPNESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
/ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
as a studio analyst, until he received an offer to become head coach of the New Jersey Nets
New Jersey Nets
The New Jersey Nets are a professional basketball team based in Newark, New Jersey. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...
.
New Jersey Nets
On June 9, 2010, reports surfaced Johnson had negotiated a deal to become the head coach of the New Jersey NetsNew Jersey Nets
The New Jersey Nets are a professional basketball team based in Newark, New Jersey. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...
. Johnson later confirmed on ESPN.com that the reports were true, making him the newest coach of the Nets team that went 12–70 during their 2009–10 campaign
2009–10 New Jersey Nets season
The 2009–10 New Jersey Nets season was the 43rd season of the franchise, 34th in the National Basketball Association . This was the team's final season at the Izod Center. With a loss to the Dallas Mavericks on , the Nets became the first team in NBA history to start the season 0—18. The Nets got...
.
Head coaching record
|-| align="left" |DAL
Dallas Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks are a professional basketball team based in Dallas, Texas. They are members of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association , and the reigning NBA champions, having defeated the Miami Heat in the 2011 NBA Finals.According to a 2011...
| align="left" |
|18||16||2||.889|| align="center" |2nd in Southwest||13||6||7||.462
| align="center" |Lost in Conf. Semifinals
2005 NBA Playoffs
The 2005 NBA Playoffs was the postseason of the National Basketball Association's 2004–05 season.The San Antonio Spurs, the number two ranked team in the Western Conference, won the 2005 NBA Playoffs by defeating the defending champions, the Detroit Pistons, 4-3 in the NBA Finals...
|-
| align="left" |DAL
| align="left" |
|82||60||22||.732|| align="center" |2nd in Southwest||23||14||9||.609
| align="center" |Lost in NBA Finals
2006 NBA Finals
The 2006 NBA Finals was the championship series of the 2005–06 National Basketball Association season. The Miami Heat won the championship in six games over the Dallas Mavericks, winning the final game at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, and becoming the third team to win a championship...
|-
| align="left" |DAL
| align="left" |
|82||67||15||.817|| align="center" |1st in Southwest||6||2||4||.333
| align="center" |Lost in First Round
2007 NBA Playoffs
The 2007 NBA Playoffs was the postseason to the National Basketball Association's 2006–2007 season.There were four rounds of postseason action, all of them in a best-of-seven format, with teams seeded on a bracket. The team with the better record wasn't necessarily the basis of seeding teams in...
|-
| align="left" |DAL
| align="left" |
|82||51||31||.622|| align="center" |4th in Southwest||5||1||4||.200
| align="center" |Lost in First Round
2008 NBA Playoffs
The 2008 NBA Playoffs was the postseason for the National Basketball Association's 2007–08 season which ended with the Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics defeating the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers 4–2....
|-
| align="left" |NJN
New Jersey Nets
The New Jersey Nets are a professional basketball team based in Newark, New Jersey. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...
| align="left" |
|82||24||58||.293|| align="center" |4th in Atlantic||—||—||—||—
| align="center" |Missed Playoffs
|-class="sortbottom"
| align="left" |Career
| ||346||218||128||.630|| ||47||23||24||.489
See also
- List of National Basketball Association players with 1000 games played
- List of National Basketball Association career assists leaders
- List of National Basketball Association players with most assists in a game
- List of NCAA Division I men's basketball players with 20 or more assists in a game
External links
- Avery Johnson Coach Profile at NBA.com
- Avery Johnson at NBA.com
- Avery Johnson Stats at ESPN.com
- Avery Johnson NBA Coaching Record at Basketball-Reference.com
- Avery Johnson NBA Statistics at Basketball-Reference.com
- Avery Johnson College Basketball Statistics at Sports-Reference.com