<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">AUSTIN, Texas (AP) -- Dennis Johnson, the star NBA guard who was part of three championships and teamed with Larry Bird on one of the great postseason plays, died Thursday, collapsing after his developmental team's practice. He was 52. Johnson, coach of the Austin Toros, was unconscious and in cardiac arrest when paramedics arrived at Austin Convention Center, said Warren Hassinger, spokesman for Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services. Paramedics tried to resuscitate him for 23 minutes before he was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead, Hassinger added. Mayra Freeman, a spokeswoman for the medical examiner's office, said there will be an autopsy. </div> http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=ap-o...ov=ap&type=lgns The only Finals MVP in Sonics history. RIP.
Though he'll mostly be remembered as a Celtics legend, Johnson made a huge mark as a Sonic and was a main component of the 1979 championship team. The Sonics named him to their 40th Anniversary team earlier this year, which is good that he was honored at KeyArena before his untimely death. Kevin Pelton wrote a nice article about him here. RIP
Definitely comes as a shock. He had been working diligently to get another shot as a head coach in the league, and ultimately sacrificed his life doing it. DJ seemed to be a hard working man who never quite got his due. One of the premier defensive players in league history, his defensive prowless often overshadowed his consistent and clutch play on offense. I've always been a fan of his and I found myself a bit upset when I heard that he has passed away. Nothing in life is guaranteed. I just wished that he would have been able to have a chance to reach his goal as a contracted NBA coach before he died. Another Celtic great passes -- First Reggie Lewis, then Red, now DJ. RIP
