photo courtesy of si.com
The playground isn’t the problem. It’s the solution. That’s the Bounce motto.
And one of the most evident examples is DJ, one of the most highly underappreciated and slept on talents in basketball history. DJ got little burn at Domiguez High School in Compton, measuring only 5′9″. He worked as a forklift driver after graduating and would run with his brothers in summer leagues after work.
After spurting to 6′3″, he began killin’ it and was spotted by the coach at Los Angeles Harbor College while tearing up the streetball competition.
After juco, he did his thing at Pepperdine and was drafted in the 2nd round by the Sonics. People don’t remember that he was the MVP of the ‘79 finals, averaging 23 joints with 6 dimes and 6 re’s, that formidable Sonics backcourt with Gus Williams, the 32 points in game 4 against the Bullets or that DJ could sky for some illmatic slams in the early days.
photo courtesy of the associated press
Whenever people talk about the Celtic dynasty, you here about Larry Bird, The Chief and McHale. But DJ was the lockdown perimeter defender, the point guard, the straw that stirred the ingredients in the old Boston Garden.
And it was the playground that made all of his estimable accomplishments possible!!!
Special shout out to Jeremy Ripley and Kool Bob Love, whose comments on Reeboks inspired this post. Check the footwear!
April 15th, 2008 at 1:44 pm
Bobbito Garcia a.k.a. Kool Bob Love says:
yo–that’s an ill sneaker photo! left to right, you got the converse weapon, nike revolution, i can’t see clearly what dumars has on, then the reebok 5600. wow. very classic.
i think i’m gonna suggest to all the shorties on my block to work a forklift this summer to help their game out.
rest in peace dennis johnson. gus williams is still alive and playing in the pelham fritz 38 and over league sundays. i’m actually playing against his squad this weekend in the semi-final. wish us luck!
April 15th, 2008 at 3:28 pm
FM says:
wow that first photo is amazing. unfortunately i’m too young to remember mr johnson
April 15th, 2008 at 5:19 pm
ali says:
that’s cool FM. glad we could put you on to Dennis Johnson. don’t sweat being too young to remember.
but now that you know, you have a responsibility to scour the library, internet and youtube for info on DJ and similar cats like ANDREW ‘the boston strangler’ TONEY, ROLANDO BLACKMON, JOE DUMARS, BYRON SCOTT, SIDNEY MONCRIEF, ALEX ENGLISH, SUGAR RAY RICHARDSON, JAMAAL WILKES, MICHAEL COOPER, MAURICE CHEEKS, DOC RIVERS and many, many others from that era who were superb but are never really talked about.
April 15th, 2008 at 8:45 pm
Bobbito Garcia a.k.a. Kool Bob Love says:
sidney moncrief was a monster. his SI cover doing the tomahawk in the arkansas jersey was unforgettable.
April 15th, 2008 at 9:16 pm
Claude says:
I think DJ was one of the first stars from Dominguez, followed most recently by Prince and Chandler.
Always was a big Dennis Johnson fan, of course, growing up near Boston during those pre-Bird years and beyond. Gotta remember Jo Jo White, Nate Archibald, Parish of course, and a host of other under-credited players.
April 15th, 2008 at 9:17 pm
Claude says:
PS – Hall of Fame consideration for DJ?
April 16th, 2008 at 8:41 am
illest says:
its a crying absolute crying shame that dennis is not in the hall of fame yet and didnt get inducted a few weeks ago. he was definitely one of the best on both sides of the ball. gus williams should be in the hall of fame as well.
April 16th, 2008 at 12:38 pm
Eric says:
DJ was Mr. Clutch, first in Seattle and of course later with Boston. His game will forever be unappreciated as everyone just looks at numbers and not winning. The guy was a winner and a great player. He should be in the Hall of Fame without a doubt.
I’ll never forget finding out about DJ’s passing 10 minutes before coaching my last high school game of the season in March 2007. I had to walk out of the gym for a few minutes to pull it together as I am a life long Celtic fan and grew up watching DJ and the Big Three.
It is too bad DJ and Red are not with us to see this Celtics team and the journey they have been on this season.
Long live DJ!
April 16th, 2008 at 2:01 pm
illest says:
When I heard it I was listening to the Michael Kay show and he brought it to whoever he was talking to by saying before you go can you tell me about how the league is taking the sudden death of Dennis Johnson. I stopped doing what I was doing and couldnt move for like 10 minutes. Wow like Gangstarr second album whats here today may be gone tomorrow. I hated and still hate the Celtics!!!!But DJ was one of the best…the closet thing to Walt Frazier.
April 16th, 2008 at 2:06 pm
illest says:
And people need to check when NBATV shows old games and check Gus Williams game one in 79 when he waited for a guy and just jammed on him two handed vertical. One of the illest dunks ever. If anyone has seen Gus play you wouldnt think he would do something like that. Check Gus at the 2:40 mark of this and Larry Nance after that.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEss9Olr-o8
April 16th, 2008 at 2:08 pm
illest says:
My bad Johnny Lucas is throwin an alley to Ice before Nance. And find someone today who could or even attempt the shot Doc made on this.
April 16th, 2008 at 2:09 pm
illest says:
http://www.youtube.com/user/NBAclassics
wowowowowo
April 16th, 2008 at 7:29 pm
Jeremy Ripley says:
Yo Ali, thanks for the shouts, I’m feeling the straw line!
It’s a shame Denny Live isn’t in the H.O.F. ….
April 17th, 2008 at 2:49 am
Bobbito Garcia a.k.a. Kool Bob Love says:
ali-
congrats, my dude. you only recently starting bloggin, and already gettin all these comments? you the man, b!
April 17th, 2008 at 9:54 am
ali says:
Dennis Johnson belongs in the HOF, bottom line! 9 NBA All-Defense teams, 5 All-Star appearances, 3 rings, 1 Finals MVP. forget stats, he was the ultimate do everything type of player.
The Hall of Fame is wack in this regard – no one knows who the voters are and the selection process is shrouded in more secrecy than the kennedy assassinations.
Adrian Dantley, who just got in this year with Ewing and The Dream, should have been in a long time ago. How can you have a b-ball HOF w/out Bernard King, DJ, Spencer Haywood, Artis Gilmore, Sidney Moncrief, George McGinnis, Marques Johnson, Roger Brown, some of the old school Harlem Rens and The Worm?
As my man Money Mike Tyson would say, “That’s ludicrous and I’m in a state of Bolivian!”
Let’s hijack the Hall of Fame.
June 3rd, 2008 at 11:52 am
illest says:
the hall of fame is definite garbage. there are so many who should be in like a jamaal wilkes, a chris mullin, and a paul westphal. the fact that it took Dantley 15 years to get in is the most ridiculous thing ever. how do you average 30 points 4 years in a row shooting a crazy 57% as a 6 foot 5 forward who post up taller forwards and centers? Its a joke. Most of these sportswriters never played and are frauds. Except for this site of course.
And Bernard King not getting in is like Nike not reupping Bobbitos sneaker deal for 08. Unexplainable!!!!
June 3rd, 2008 at 1:08 pm
Bobbito Garcia a.k.a. Kool Bob Love says:
i stopped paying attention to the hall selections years ago, but dag, is bernard king really not in there? that’s insane!
June 4th, 2008 at 8:14 am
illest says:
yeah bob its a shame.