ESPN just reported former Celtic great Dennis Johnson just collapsed and died at practice for the NBDL team he coaches. I've heard from WEEI that it was an apparent heart attack. DJ was one of my favorite players growing up, so this is especially sad news for me.
Wow, just wow! 52 is so young, this a complete shock to me. This is sad news for the basketball community.
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Former Boston Celtics guard Dennis Johnson, coach of the Celtics' team in the NBA Development League, collapsed during practice Thursday and died, ESPN The Magazine's Ric Bucher is reporting. Johnson was 52. Johnson was the MVP of the 1979 NBA Finals, averaging 22.6 points as his Seattle SuperSonics beat the Washington Bullets. After a brief stint with the Phoenix Suns, Johnson rejoined the Boston Celtics, where he teamed with Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, Danny Ainge and Robert Parish for a glorious run in the 1980s that saw Boston win the 1984 and 1986 NBA championships. Known throughout the league as "DJ," Johnson played in five NBA All-Star games and was named to the All-Defensive First Team six times. In 14 NBA seasons, he scored 15,535 points (a 14.1 points-per-game average) and averaged 17.3 points in 180 playoff games.</div> http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2775430
That's really too bad. Dennis Johnson was a good guy, and a hardworking player. He's a guy who all fans should respect. RIP
Wow I was shocked when it popped up on ESPNEWS. I never watched him play but I've seen some stuff on NBA TV. RIP.
'...........underneath to DJ, Lays it in........'.DJ was one half of the greatest play in celtic history....I always had hoped he'd come back to Boston and mipart his hard nosed defensive style and hard running attidude on our team.........what a huge loss
