NBA History: Neil Johnston

[TCR]

Since we're now in the off season I wanted to share some thoughts on NBA history from time to time. It's a lot of fun to talk about the history of the game and I wanted to post about a player that I feel often goes overlooked.

Neil Johnston played in the NBA from 1951 until he had a knee injury in 1959 that would force an early retirement. Prior to that he attended college at Ohio state, playing basketball and baseball when it was more common to see two-sport collegiate athletes. Despite struggling in his attempt at a professional baseball career before joining the NBA, this undrafted center emerged as a force to be reckoned with. Spending eight seasons with the Philadelphia Warriors, now the Golden State Warriors, Johnston claimed a championship title in 1956 and garnered four 1st-team all-NBA honors. His exceptional scoring ability, leading the league three times, along with his impressive field goal percentage (for the time) and minutes played in which he also led the league, solidified his legacy. One season he also led the league in rebounding.

Neil Johnston showcased remarkable finesse and I wonder how much of an influence he had on Kareem Abdul-Jabbar later on. One of his signature moves was a sweeping hook shot that he would often use to punish defenses. Although it's the main move people talk about with Kareem, it's not mentioned so much when it comes to Neil Johnston.

One reason I feel like he is often overlooked is because his prime years came between the dominant era of George Mikan and the era of players like Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain. 

Photo comes from Basketball Reference.

[bugatti]

Interesting. I've heard of Johnston but have never done much of a deep dive.

Johnston's life was tragically cut short at the age of 49, succumbing to a heart attack.