Neil Johnson (basketball)
Personal information | |
---|---|
Born | Jackson, Michigan, U.S. | April 17, 1943
Listed height | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) |
Listed weight | 220 lb (100 kg) |
Career information | |
High school | George Washington (New York City, New York) |
College | Creighton (1964–1966) |
NBA draft | 1966: 2nd round, 15th overall pick |
Selected by the Baltimore Bullets | |
Playing career | 1966–1973 |
Position | Power forward / center |
Number | 11, 24 |
Career history | |
1966–1968 | New York Knicks |
1968–1970 | Phoenix Suns |
1970–1973 | Virginia Squires |
Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Career NBA and ABA statistics | |
Points | 2,633 (6.9 ppg) |
Rebounds | 2,003 (5.3 rpg) |
Assists | 632 (1.7 apg) |
Stats at NBA.com | |
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
Neil A. Johnson (born April 17, 1943) is a retired American basketball player born in Jackson, Michigan.
A 6'7" forward/center from Creighton University, Johnson played four seasons in the National Basketball Association as a member of the New York Knicks (1966–1968) and Phoenix Suns (1968–1970), then spent three seasons (1970–1973) in the American Basketball Association with the Virginia Squires. He averaged 6.9 points and 5.3 rebounds per game in his professional career and appeared in the 1971 ABA All-Star Game.[1]
Known as an "enforcer", Johnson is remembered in the ABA oral history book Loose Balls for punching Warren Jabali in a game between the Virginia Squires and Denver Rockets. Referee John Vanak called the punch "the most devastating punch [he'd] ever seen on the court". According to Vanak, Jabali was one of the most physical players in the ABA, and had been shoving Johnson and his teammates throughout the game until Johnson retaliated. Dave Twardzik of the Squires recalled, "It scared the hell out of me, but the guys on my team were loving it because the whole league hated Jabali."[2]
Career statistics
[edit]GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
NBA/ABA
[edit]Source[3]
Regular season
[edit]Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1966–67 | New York | 51 | 3 | 10.2 | .345 | .663 | 3.3 | .7 | 3.4 | |
1967–68 | New York | 43 | 1 | 6.7 | .415 | .479 | 1.7 | .8 | 2.6 | |
1968–69 | Phoenix | 80 | 16.5 | .481 | .621 | 5.0 | 1.7 | 5.8 | ||
1969–70 | Phoenix | 28 | 4.9 | .333 | .667 | 1.7 | .4 | 1.7 | ||
1970–71 | Virginia (ABA) | 78 | 23.6 | .525 | .000 | .749 | 8.6 | 2.3 | 12.7 | |
1971–72 | Virginia | 31 | 28.2 | .469 | .333 | .691 | 9.2 | 2.5 | 10.4 | |
1972–73 | Virginia | 69 | 20.9 | .490 | .000 | .660 | 5.3 | 2.3 | 7.6 | |
Career (NBA) | 202 | 4 | 11.2 | .426 | .613 | 3.4 | 1.1 | 4.0 | ||
Career (ABA) | 178 | 23.3 | .504 | .167 | .711 | 7.4 | 2.3 | 10.3 | ||
Career (overall) | 380 | 4 | 16.9 | .479 | .167 | .673 | 5.3 | 1.7 | 6.9 | |
All-Star (ABA) | 1 | 4.0 | .000 | – | – | 1.0 | .0 | .0 |
Playoffs
[edit]Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1967 | New York | 4 | 0 | 16.0 | .296 | .875 | 5.8 | 1.3 | 5.8 | |
1968 | New York | 2 | 0 | 3.0 | .500 | – | 1.5 | .0 | 2.0 | |
1970 | Phoenix | 2 | 3.5 | .333 | – | 2.0 | .0 | 1.0 | ||
1971 | Virginia (ABA) | 12 | 21.1 | .446 | 1.000 | .659 | 8.3 | 2.7 | 9.3 | |
1973 | Virginia (ABA) | 5 | 19.6 | .500 | – | .750 | 4.2 | 1.0 | 6.4 | |
Career (NBA) | 8 | 0 | 9.6 | .324 | .875 | 3.8 | .6 | 3.6 | ||
Career (ABA) | 17 | 20.6 | .458 | 1.000 | .673 | 7.1 | 2.2 | 8.5 | ||
Career (overall) | 25 | 0 | 17.1 | .428 | 1.000 | .700 | 6.0 | 1.7 | 6.9 |
References
[edit]- ^ Neil Johnson statistics. basketball-reference.com. Retrieved on January 7, 2008.
- ^ Terry Pluto. Loose Balls. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1990. 218-219.
- ^ "Neil Johnson NBA/ABA stats". Basketball Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
- 1943 births
- Living people
- American men's basketball players
- Baltimore Bullets (1963–1973) draft picks
- Basketball players from Michigan
- Centers (basketball)
- Creighton Bluejays men's basketball players
- George Washington Educational Campus alumni
- New York Knicks players
- Phoenix Suns expansion draft picks
- Phoenix Suns players
- Power forwards
- Sportspeople from Jackson, Michigan
- Virginia Squires players