Mickey Johnson

For the Bermudian diver, see Mickey Johnson (diver). For other people with similar names, see Michael Johnson.

Mickey Johnson

Johnson at a Summer 2015 youth clinic
Personal information
Born	(1952-08-31) August 31, 1952 (age 72) Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Listed height	6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
Listed weight	190 lb (86 kg)
Career information
High school	Lindblom Technical (Chicago, Illinois)
College	Aurora (1970–1974)
NBA draft	1974: 4th round, 56th overall pick
Selected by the Portland Trail Blazers
Playing career	1974–1986
Position	Power forward
Number	8, 3
Career history
1974–1979	Chicago Bulls
1979–1980	Indiana Pacers
1980–1982	Milwaukee Bucks
1982–1983	New Jersey Nets
1983–1984	Golden State Warriors
1985–1986	New Jersey Nets
Career NBA statistics
Points	12,748 (14.1 ppg)
Rebounds	6,465 (7.2 rpg)
Assists	2,677 (3.0 apg)
Stats at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball Reference

Wallace Edgar "Mickey" Johnson (born August 31, 1952) is an American former professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA).

Career

Basketball

After graduating from Chicago's Lindblom High School and playing collegiately at tiny Aurora College, the 6' 10" forward/center was selected by the Portland Trail Blazers in the fourth round of the 1974 NBA draft. The Blazers immediately traded Johnson to the Chicago Bulls, with whom he averaged just 3.8 points per game as a rookie. Johnson quickly improved, however, and he moved into the Bulls' starting lineup during the middle of his second season. A versatile scorer and aggressive rebounder, he averaged 17.3 points and 10.2 rebounds in 1976–77. On April 17, 1977, in the deciding game of a first round loss against the team which originally drafted him, Portland (Chicago was then a Western Conference team), Johnson scored a playoff career-high 34 points and added 14 rebounds. ^[1] The following season, he averaged 18.3 points and 9.1 rebounds, and on February 26, 1978, he scored 30 points and grabbed 21 rebounds in a 100–99 loss, again to Portland. ^[2]

In 1979, he signed as a free agent with the Indiana Pacers, averaging a career-high 19.1 points during his first and only season with that club. In what was arguably the best game of his career, on January 30, 1980, Johnson scored 41 points, grabbed 7 rebounds, and recorded 8 assists in a 119–120 loss against the Washington Bullets. ^[3] Just a couple weeks later, on February 14 during a 118–114 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers, Johnson set a career high with 6 blocks in a single game, while also adding 14 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists. ^[4] On September 11, 1980, Johnson was traded by the Pacers to the Milwaukee Bucks for George L. Johnson and a 1982 2nd round draft pick (Jose Slaughter was later selected). ^[5] After finishing the season with a record of 60–22, the Bucks would face the Philadelphia 76ers during the 1981 NBA Playoffs, where Johnson led Milwaukee to a Game 6 win with 22 points, 12 rebounds, and 3 steals. ^[6] In Game 7, the Bucks lost 99–98, and the conclusion of the game was delayed for two hours and sixteen minutes as coach Don Nelson contested if Philadelphia got away with a 24 second violation as the game ended. ^[7]

During the 1982 NBA Playoffs, on April 25, 1982, Johnson scored 28 points and recorded 4 steals in a Game 1 loss against the 76ers in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. ^[8] The Bucks would eventually lose the series in six games, being eliminated by the 76ers for the second year in a row. On Johnson's underappreciated role in the Bucks' postseason run, Don Nelson said "Mickey has not been getting much credit, he's had a few games where his offense was not good, but his defense has always been there..." Despite being a solid starter on the Bucks, Johnson's tenure may be most remembered for the fact that both he and teammate Marques Johnson were the first two players in NBA history to have their full first and last names displayed on their jerseys, as they both shared the same first initial and last name. ^[9]

He also played for the New Jersey Nets and Golden State Warriors during his career. On March 10, 1983, while on the Warriors, Johnson recorded a triple double with 21 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists in a 119–109 win over the Houston Rockets. ^[10] He retired in 1986 with 12,748 career points and 6,465 career rebounds.

During his NBA career, Johnson was called "Rubberman" by teammates due his ability to stretch and grab rebounds and block shots, despite his slender frame. ^[6]

He later became the head men's basketball coach at Malcolm X College in Chicago. ^[11]

Politics

In 2015, Johnson unsuccessfully ran in an open race for alderman from Chicago's 24th Ward. ^[12] He was a finalist for an appointment to fill a vacancy for the same office in 2022; Chicago mayor Lori Lightfoot ultimately nominated Monique Scott instead. ^[13]

In 2017, Johnson described Colin Kaepernick as a "patriot" when discussing Kaepernick's use of controversial anthem protesting to bring attention to institutional racism in America. ^[14]

NBA career statistics

Legend

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
*	Led the league

Regular season

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
1974–75	Chicago	38	–	7.7	.449	–	.638	2.5	0.5	0.3	0.3	3.8
1975–76	Chicago	81	–	29.5	.463	–	.786	9.4	1.6	1.1	0.8	15.3
1976–77	Chicago	81	–	35.1	.446	–	.796	10.2	2.4	1.3	0.8	17.3
1977–78	Chicago	81	–	35.4	.462	–	.812	9.1	3.3	1.1	0.8	18.3
1978–79	Chicago	82*	–	31.6	.449	–	.830	7.6	4.6	1.1	0.7	15.4
1979–80	Indiana	82	–	32.3	.463	.156	.799	8.3	4.2	1.9	1.4	19.1
1980–81	Milwaukee	82	–	25.8	.448	.167	.789	6.6	3.5	1.1	0.9	12.5
1981–82	Milwaukee	76	71	25.4	.491	.143	.801	6.0	2.8	0.9	0.6	12.9
1982–83	Milwaukee	6	0	25.5	.455	.000	.778	4.2	1.8	0.2	0.3	11.2
1982–83	New Jersey	42	7	23.8	.401	.118	.816	5.3	3.4	1.3	0.5	13.4
1982–83	Golden State	30	9	30.0	.451	.059	.829	8.2	3.3	0.8	0.8	15.5
1983–84	Golden State	78	25	27.2	.421	.172	.785	6.6	2.8	1.3	0.4	13.6
1984–85	Golden State	66	9	23.7	.426	.233	.823	6.0	2.3	1.1	0.5	13.3
1985–86	New Jersey	79	4	19.9	.422	.208	.785	4.2	2.7	0.8	0.3	7.8
Career		904	125	27.7	.449	.165	.800	7.2	3.0	1.1	0.7	14.1

Playoffs

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
1974–75	Chicago	3	–	1.7	.333	–	.000	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.3	0.7
1976–77	Chicago	3	–	41.3	.472	–	.875	13.0	2.3	1.7	0.7	27.3
1980–81	Milwaukee	7	–	24.3	.400	.000	.857	6.7	1.9	1.3	0.9	11.7
1981–82	Milwaukee	6	–	34.3	.573	.000	.846	5.3	3.0	1.3	0.7	19.8
1985–86	New Jersey	3	0	18.0	.263	.000	.636	3.7	0.7	0.7	0.0	5.7
Career		22	0	25.4	.466	.000	.832	5.9	1.8	1.1	0.6	13.7

Family

Mickey Johnson is the uncle of journeyman former NBA forward Linton Johnson. ^[15]

References

1. "Chicago Bulls at Portland Trail Blazers Box Score, April 17, 1977 | Basketball-Reference.com".
2. "Portland Trail Blazers at Chicago Bulls Box Score, February 26, 1978 | Basketball-Reference.com".
3. "Indiana Pacers at Washington Bullets Box Score, January 30, 1980 | Basketball-Reference.com".
4. "Mickey Johnson Career High 6 Blocks". Statmuse.
5. "Mickey Johnson Stats | Basketball-Reference.com".
6. "'Other' Johnson Boosts Bucks to Series Tie". The Washington Post.
7. "Sixers' lowlights: When fans stayed home". The Philadelphia Inquirer.
8. "Milwaukee Bucks at Philadelphia 76ers Box Score, April 25, 1982 | Basketball-Reference.com".
9. "Uni Watch-Name variations worth turning around for a second look". January 14, 2014.
10. "Mickey Johnson Golden State Triple Double". Statmuse.
11. "Malcolm X College of Chicago". Archived from the original on June 8, 2007. Retrieved June 7, 2007.
12. "Meet the candidates: City Council, 24th Ward". WGN-TV. February 17, 2015. Retrieved February 24, 2020.
13. Spielman, Fran (June 20, 2022). "Who cares about all-in-the-family claims: Lightfoot picks Michael Scott Jr.'s sister to replace him as 24th Ward alderperson". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
14. https://www.facebook.com/Friends-for-Wallace-E-Mickey-Johnson-130179603697357/ ^{[ user-generated source ]}
15. HORNETS: Behind the Numbers: Linton Johnson

External links

• Career Stats